Redemption
by Lady Shadow
Summary: Wufei is a lowly tavern slave who's nothing and no one to anyone. Until one cold winter day when five young men burst through the tavern doors...Inspired by LittleMouse's wonderful "WarCraft" and *posted with her permission*
1. Author's Notes

_Title:_ Redemption

**Author**: Lady Shadow

_Fandom:_ Gundam Wing

_Pairing(s)_: 3x5, various

_**Disclaimer:**_ The following is a work of _fanfiction_. It is based on the ideas, settings, situations and characters of the television show "Gundam Wing." The author of this work of fanfiction neither owns nor claims to own the aforementioned ideas, settings, situations and characters. They are the sole property of the creators and owners of "Gundam Wing" and all other legal associates. This fanfiction is written for entertainment purposes only and no profit is made from the writing or publication of this piece. No infringement of any rights, copyright or otherwise, is intended. Original plot and characters are © Lady Shadow, 2009.

_Summary_ : Inspired by LittleMouse's wonderful "WarCraft" and *posted with her permission* Wufei is a lowly tavern slave who's nothing and no one to anyone. Until one cold winter day when five young men burst through the tavern doors...

Status: WIP

Series/Title/Pos? N

Sequel/Title? N

Prequel/Title? N

**Warning(s)** : None

_Genre(s)_ : AU, Drama/Romance.

_Author's Notes_ : This is a re-write of the original "Redemption," which was not completed, but can still be found on Gundam-Wing-Universe . net. This piece is gifted, with my love, to the amazing LittleMouse.

_Beta_ :

Word Count:


	2. ONE

BOOK ONE:

The Redemption of a Dragon; Wufei's Story

~*~

ONE::

The bright red gnome crept across the table with a mischievous look on his twisted face, his gnarled hand held out for the dead wick of a taper candle. Wufei made a discreet shoo'ing motion with one hand and frowned at the creature. He gathered up the dirty dishes and swiped his equally dirty cloth across the tabletop. The gnome plopped down on his ample rear and glared at Wufei uselessly, his stubby arms crossed over his chest.

Wufei ignored him and moved through the tavern room quickly and quietly, doing his best to draw the least amount of attention to himself as possible. His hair fell over his face in messy tangles and the boy made no effort to push it back. It was safer this way.

"Boy!"

Wufei stilled, a fine shudder creeping up his back at the familiar voice.

"Yes, you, ya dumb shit! C'mere!"

He set his stack of plates down carefully and made his way to the small table in the far back of the inn, where the twice-married and twice-widowered farmer Stilithus sat with one of his older sons. Wufei stopped a safe distance from the man's chair and waited for orders. He did his best to avoid the tavern floor when Stilithus was in, as the man was known to be violent even when sober. Rising partially -and none too steadily- from his chair, Stilithus reached out and grabbed him by one arm, hauling him forward and pulling him down so Wufei's face was a lot closer than he would have liked to the man's stinking breath.

"More _ale_," he said very slowly like he was speaking to someone who didn't speak the language fluently. "D'ye understand me?" he asked, thrusting his empty tankard into Wufei's hand. Wufei nodded quickly, holding the tankard against his chest with both hands. "Well? Git!" He pushed the boy roughly in the direction of the ale barrel in the corner and Wufei hurried toward it, briefly passing by Alork, the innkeeper, and showing him the tankard. The man glanced up and looked toward Stilithus. Wufei nodded and the innkeeper jerked his head toward the barrel. Moving quickly, Wufei refilled the tankard and returned to the corner table, setting it down and dancing nimbly out of the way to avoid a poorly aimed swat to his head.

He had just gathered the dishes again when a panting boy burst through the tavern doors, letting in a sweep of vicious icy air that cut straight through Wufei's threadbare garments and unbalanced him. A small group of sprites caught onto the teetering stack of plates and pushed them back into his arms, saving him from a bad beating. He mouthed a thank you to the attentive group and hurried through to the kitchen, exchanging the frigid winter air for the stifling heat of the cooking pits.

~*~

"You'll never believe it, sir!" the boy cried, his face flushed with more than the cold.

Alork rounded on the youth with a snarl. "What's the matter with you, Jes?! Close the bloody door! It's colder'n a witch's tit out there!"

Unfazed by the burly man's rebuff, Jes pushed the door to and danced forward, getting the innkeeper's attention again.

"_Sir_, a Five has just ridden into town!"

Silence fell in the crowded room and all ears turned towards the young boy. Pleased to have garnished such attention, Jes grinned brightly.

"A _what_?" Alork demanded.

"A Five, I'm not sure what craft, but definitely a Five. I ran here as fast as I could. I guessed they'd be coming here. You think they're Seeking?!"

"In this backwater pisshole?" He snorted. "Doubt it."

Jes deflated a little. Half the town said he must have some kind of talent, and he had been praying for the day when a craft would come Seeking and take him away.

"We'll all know soon enough," Alork decided, dismissing the matter. He was halfway to the kitchen when the door slammed open again, filling the room with winter once more. The innkeeper turned with a curse that died on his lips as five young men filed into the room, the last shoving the door shut against the strong wind.

For a moment, there was stillness and silence. The man in front, a tall, fair-skinned blond finally stepped forward slightly. He cast a glance around the room and brought his eyes back to Alork. "We seek shelter," he announced. His voice was deep and soft with an unmistakable High accent.

Alork jumped into action, hastily wiping one hand on his greasy apron before offering it to the stranger. The man smiled charmingly, taking his hand and shaking it firmly.

"For five?" Alork asked nervously.

"Six. Can you accommodate?"

Whispers ran through the room and Alork glanced briefly at his patrons, wishing they would all evaporate. "You have a sixth on the way then?" he prompted.

The tall blond shook his head. "We're Seeking." His lips curled up slightly in amusement and Alork flushed, knowing his casual probing had been found out.

Behind the innkeeper, Jes' heart beat furiously. He wanted dearly to step around the innkeeper so he could be seen and maybe taken right then, but fear held him fast to his place, hidden in the corner.

"Here?" Alork asked incredulously. The stranger lifted an eyebrow and Alork cleared his throat nervously, turning an unflattering shade of red.

"Can you accommodate us?" the stranger repeated.

"There's just the one room," Alork said, twisting his apron in one hand. "And two beds, but maybe I can-"

"That will be sufficient, thank you. Perhaps a cot?"

"We do have a few..."

"One will suffice."

The innkeeper blushed even deeper red when he realized why six men would need only three beds and coughed to cover his discomfort.

"Why don't you take a seat? I'll have the boy bring you out food and drink and get the room cleaned up a bit." The blond nodded and Alork hurried off while the five seated themselves around two tables near the fire.

~*~

They'd barely taken their seats when a young boy approached them nervously. Quatre finally turned to look at him, smiling sweetly.

"I... uh," the boy started, then blushed and looked away. Quatre recognized the almost desperate hope in his eyes and concentrated on him for a moment. He did radiate faintly blue, but his aura was weak and didn't pulsate the way one of his Others would have. Quatre shook his head slowly, giving him an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry. It's not unfeasible that you have some talent. I'd be willing to wager water or air, and most likely a Healing, but you're not to be ours. I'm sorry, child." The boy deflated, but seemed to find some hope in the air Talent's appraisal and nodded. Without a word, he walked away, nonetheless crestfallen.

_~Has he really any talent?~ _his lover asked silently.

_~Of course! I wouldn't lie to someone about that!... That boy used to be me, after all...~_ he answered, thinking back on his own childhood and how he'd desperately wished to be Sought or apprenticed or anything to get him away from his house and his overbearing family.

~*~

"Boy!"

Wufei spun around immediately, expertly hiding the sink with his body. The same fire-red gnome was perched on the edge of the sink scorching bubbles with little puffs of flame. Each exploded bubble yielded a silent _whoop_ and a victory dance. Wufei had been waiting for the gnome's theatrics to carry him into the wash basin, and was prepared to scoop the creature out before he could evaporate the water or, worse, damage the dishes.

Alork did not seem concerned about his slave's strange behavior though, and merely snapped, "We have _guests_!" The innkeeper grabbed him and roughly wiped the suds off of his arms, making a mess of the floor that Wufei would have to clean later. The little fire gnome swiped angrily at the innkeeper, but the man was thankfully out of reach.

"Take them food and open the Winterveil Mead!"

Wufei stood dumbfounded. The Winterveil mead? What sort of guests did they have that the Winterveil mead was being opened two fortnights early?

"Now, boy!" Wufei jumped as the man's hand landed roughly on the side of his head and hurried for the oven where fresh bread was warming and meat stew was simmering. While Alork took off upstairs, he piled three of the freshest loaves and a whole round of soft cheese onto a tray and nearly ran from the kitchen. A gaggle of sprites zipped excitedly around his head and he wished he could swat at them. He had no idea what had them all so excited, or why there were so many! Usually the fey avoided areas with heavy human traffic.

It took him a bare second to locate the strangers' tables and he hurried over to them quietly, feeling oddly warm. He glanced up at the table, curious despite himself and felt the world slow. He caught a brief glance of a single wide emerald eye before he felt the tray slip out of his fingertips. It crashed to the floor with a strangely dull sound and he stood rooted to the spot, barely able to breathe.

~*~

Trowa, ill and half mad with the pain of his missing Other, looked up at the approaching figure and felt his blood boil. He wanted to laugh or cry or sing, but darkness was rushing up all around him and his eyes rolled back as he dropped into a dead faint.

Startled, Quatre barely acted quickly enough to save the much taller earth Talent from an unplanned meeting with the floor. All eyes turned to the tavern boy and the tiny mess of black hair and skinny limbs just stood there, seemingly petrified with the broken tray and food at his feet. Mere heartbeats later, a great noise broke out and the innkeeper was rushing down the stairs. He quickly took in the unconscious Talent, Wufei standing there like a rabbit in a wolf's sights and the other four Talents looking at him with wide eyes and shocked expressions. His heart jumped to his throat and he rushed forward, roughly grabbing Wufei by the arm and pulling him sharply back from the table.

"I'm sorry, m'lords! Whatever he's done, I swear I'll beat 'im somethin' fierce for it!" he cried. The shock on his patrons' faces turned quickly to black rage and the blond's hand shot out, grabbing Alork's wrist in a crushing grip.

"You'll do no such thing," he growled menacingly, standing. He towered a good four inches over the stocky innkeeper, but the way he leaned over the man and his sheer presence made it seem like several daunting feet.

"I...don't understand..."

Arm still clutched in Alork's death grip and fighting unconsciousness, Wufei did his best to make himself inconspicuous behind the innkeeper. He was equally as confused as his master and the fey around him were kicking up a furious tantrum.

"Give him to me," the blond said quietly, glaring.

"Now, wait a tick! This boy might not be much, but he's _mine,_ and whatever he's done, _I'll_ handle it," Alork said boldly. Wufei winced at being reminded of his status in life, but for the first time since coming into Alork's service, felt grateful to the man. Alork had never liked him, but if anything could be said about the innkeeper, it was that he protected his property.

"Yours?" the Talent asked darkly, rising to his full height and tossing back his cloak to reveal the insignia at his neck.

"I am Zechs de Merquis, Shadow-Warcraft spirit Talent and personal advisor to the king. By law I have the right to kill you for keeping my Other from me." An oppressive silence fell and Zechs reached deliberately for his belt were a malicious knife glinted in the fire light.

Swallowing hard, Alork released the boy and held his hands out in front of him.

"I... I apologize, milord, I didn't know he... how....he's not even talented! The only Talent in this village is Jes there!"

Zechs slowly drew the knife from his belt and held it loosely in one hand.

"And what makes you qualified to identify a Talent? I swear by all that's holy and otherwise that I will slit your throat here and now if you don't hand me that boy."

Nervously, Alork stepped aside to reveal Wufei creeping slowly towards the relative safety of the kitchen. Zechs quickly slipped his knife back into his belt and crossed the distance that separated him from his unclaimed Other. Wufei yelped and tried to run, but Zechs caught him around the middle.

"Hush, you'll not be harmed," he whispered to the struggling boy, putting his lips close to Wufei's ear. Weak from lack of everything, Wufei finally allowed the gray that had been slowly closing in on him to slip him into blessed unconsciousness.

"The room," Zechs said icily.

"I...uh..."

"Now."

"It's not ready..." the innkeeper protested weakly.

"_Now_!"

Alork jumped and headed for the stairs. Zechs and his Others followed closely, carrying their two unconscious members.

~*~

As soon as the door was open, Alork scuttled away as fast as his bulk and the narrow hallway would permit. Zechs' didn't even spare him a second glance and strode into the room, gently setting his precious burden on one of the beds. Heero rounded the other side and laid Trowa next to the unconscious boy. Trowa whimpered in his fitful sleep and reached instinctively for his Other. Unfortunately, the boy's instinctive reaction was to pull away, and Trowa withdrew, curling into a ball, his breath coming in little sobs.

~_We need to wake him up,_~ Zechs announced, looking down at Wufei's frail body. Trowa's pain was like a thousand sharp needles and Zechs shuddered underneath it. He glanced up at Quatre. The gentle air Talent had a troubled look on his face, but he closed his eyes and concentrated on the distant fuzzy warmth that was his unclaimed Other.

Being primarily a healing Talent, it wasn't the first time that Quatre had found it necessary to forcefully rouse someone from the depths of unconsciousness, as much as he didn't like to. It was, however, the first time he'd been blocked. The blockage was not like the polite walls Others would erect between themselves when they wanted a little privacy, but more like a full-blown shield. He looked closer and realized then that the fuzzy presence he'd felt was the boy's wall, and not the boy himself.

He quickly relayed the image to his Others and they frowned as they all turned to look.

~_How could he be doing that?~_ Duo pondered, prodding the wall. Unexpectedly, it prodded back, and Duo was tossed forcefully out of the mental link. He opened his eyes with a gasp. ~_A warded shield?!~_

_~We don't have time to figure it out,~_ Zechs interrupted before they could start testing the ward. ~_We have to get him awake and explain the situation before Trowa is completely lost to madness._~ He opened his eyes and found their charge glaring up at him from beneath tangles of oily black hair. His eyebrows climbed up his forehead and he gave his Others a mental elbow to get their attention. Could this boy really be so good with a shield that none of them noticed him regain consciousness?

Apparently, that was exactly the case. The entire craft blinked down at him in startlement. Zechs motioned them away from the bed and sat down slowly on the edge.

"Hello," he greeted softly, trying to make himself as unimposing as possible. It was not an easy feat for a man of his height and natural command ability; he had been trained since he was very young to hold himself in a way that was _intended_ to be intimidating. Whether or not he was successful, he couldn't tell. The Talent's expression didn't change and he stared blankly at Zechs as though he didn't understand the language. "What's your name?" he tried gently, painfully aware that Trowa was in trouble, but scaring this boy would could only make the situation worse. The boy's expression became downright murderous and he looked around cautiously.

~_Looking for an escape?~_ Duo guessed.

~_Most likely.~_

_ ~We don't have time for this!~_ Heero pushed his way to the bedside and glared down at that the figure laying motionless and stiff on the bed.

"You've been _Sought_, boy!" Heero told him, voice a little sharper than he'd intended. "That is your _Other _and he's in pain. Do you understand what that means?!"

The tavern boy lifted himself slowly off the mattress, spat at Heero's furious face and laid back down. Heero's mouth twisted, an obscenity jumping to his tongue, but Quatre quickly pushed him out of the way, practically sitting in Zech's lap to get their uncooperative Other's attention.

"Can you hear me?" he asked, simultaneously making the hand signs for the phrase. The scrawny little mess watched his hands, looked critically at Quatre and slowly nodded. Quatre smiled at him. "Will you tell me your name?" The boy glared at him warily, and then looked away.

"Alright, look here." Slowly he turned his head toward the source of the noise, and found Duo on the other side of Trowa. His gaze rested curiously on the obviously unconscious man, then he remembered the scene in the tavern and winced. He looked up at Duo, his expression suddenly defeated.

"You can fix this," Duo told him, gesturing to Trowa. The boy nodded, though he frowned in confusion, obviously having no idea what _he_ could do. He was just a lowly tavern boy, after all, and a slave at that. "You're his Other, do you know what that means?" He shook his head and Duo exchanged a mental glance with his Others. "Just come over here," Duo said gently, gesturing to Trowa. Wary, but knowing he didn't have a choice, he slowly eased over. As soon as he was within reach, Trowa reached out and pulled him close. Immediately he went completely limp, staring listlessly at the wall as Trowa's unconscious hands ran over his malnourished body.

~_What's been done to this boy?~_ Quatre wondered, trying again to see past the incredible wall, but he was immediately rebuked, pushed back even further than Duo had been. Deciding not to aggravate the situation, Quatre pulled away.


	3. TWO

TWO::

Wufei felt an annoying urge to cry. He was stuck, powerless in exactly the situation he had fought so hard to avoid. He had made every possible effort to make himself undesirable, even going so far as to be appear mute and witless and forgoing caring for his hair. It was all to no avail now. But why were they trying to get his consent? He was nothing to them, could not have fought them even if he was willing to try. The man behind him had regained consciousness -or at least stopped pretending _unconsciousness-_ and his lips were pressing against Wufei's neck, hands running over chest and stomach. He would not cry.... he would not sob... he would not show weakness.... and yet he couldn't help but wince when those invasive hands ran over his hips and slid into his pants. He forced himself to relax, to just let it happen. It would be easier if he didn't fight.

_All I'm good for..._ He let himself slide into his cold place as his tormentor pulled him onto his back and straddled him, teeth nipping at his neck and ear.

The harder he tried to be completely unresponsive, the more desperate and rough the other man seemed to get, until he finally pulled back with a frustrated groan and landed his fists hard on either side of Wufei's body, making him wince. Nearly hyperventilating, the green-eyed man tossed himself sideways, and rolled away from Wufei. Confused, Wufei turned to look at him, and then up at the other four still surrounding the bed like insane voyeurs.

"Trowa..." the quiet blond whispered, reaching out to touch the man's stiff shoulder. Trowa made a strangled noise deep in his throat and tightened up further. Quatre withdrew his hand quickly and his eyes unfocused briefly.

"He's not going to last much longer like this," he announced, then turned to look at Wufei. "He's not trying to hurt you. He's trying to bond, do you understand?" He looked imploring at Wufei, but Wufei could only sigh, and shake his head again. "You really have no idea?" Wufei rolled his eyes and glared at the air Talent.

"Do you know what Talents are? Craft?" Duo interrupted, picking the boy up by the shoulders. Wufei was boneless in his grasp. "Goddamnit, we're not trying to _rape_ you, you idiot!" he screamed. At the outburst, Wufei finally brought his head up to look at Duo, a hot glare in his eyes. "Trowa _needs_ you, and though you don't seem to realize it, for whatever goddamn reason, you _need him too_! Is it that you don't want to leave this pisshole? Is that it?!"

"Duo!" Quatre interrupted, grabbing his shoulder.

"Shut up, Quatre! Is that it, huh?! You like it here so much that you don't _want_ to bond?" Finally, Wufei shook his head. Of course he didn't like it, but it was all he knew, and he wasn't stupid enough to actually think they were going to take him with them when they left. They would leave, he would be broken, used, and no doubt Alork would finally decide that the most he was good for was warming his patron's beds. So did it really matter if he fought? Was there really anything left to fight for? The chestnut-haired man shook him again, making his head swim and he hissed before pushing the man away. "Damnit..." He moved as though to grab him again, but Wufei slapped him. Hard. Or as hard as he could. The man stared at him in shock and for a moment, Wufei was shocked too. He would be killed now for sure.

Coming out of his shock, Duo reached for him again and Wufei tensed in anticipation of the blow, but the tall blond stopped him. "That's enough! You're frightening him."

"He's going to let Trowa _die, _because he's too ignorant or too..._stupid_ to know what's going on!" Duo argued hotly. Wufei drew away from the insults, turning his back to the arguing men and facing Trowa. The angry man that had yelled at him the first time was glaring at him from the corner and he tried to ignore him. Trowa was curled into a tight ball, body trembling.

Wufei didn't understand anything of what was going on, but there were dozens of earth fey hovering around Trowa, patting him consolingly. Wufei's own friend, the fire gnome, was gently nudging the shuddering Talent's body. Wufei sighed; he may not understand it, but he didn't want the man to die. He reached out tentatively and brushed his fingertips across Trowa's shoulder. The Talent curled into a tighter ball, pulling away from him. He frowned and moved to withdraw his hand, but a green sprite caught his fingertip and pulled him imploringly back towards the other man.

He set his hand more firmly on Trowa's shoulder and pulled gently until he rolled over. His eyes were glazed and his forehead was shiny with a fine layer of sweat. Wufei swallowed hard and opened his arms in invitation. Wonder dawned in Trowa's eyes and Wufei sighed, dropping his head so his hair would fall over his face, but Trowa reached up and pushed it away. He dragged Wufei down and roughly found his lips, desperately seeking _something_ that Wufei was apparently not giving him.

Acutely aware of his audience, Wufei managed to detach Trowa's lips long enough to lay down on his back. Trowa quickly followed, covering his body and giving him some shelter from the other four men still standing around the bed. Though he expected Trowa to take down his pants, he didn't. In fact, he kept his hands firmly on either side of Wufei's face and set their foreheads together.

Wufei frowned as a tingling sensation started at the back of his head and spread down his spine. Abruptly, he was in his cold place. This was the strange darkness inside of himself that he'd retreated to since his parent's death. Normally this place was calming, but now there was a strange... _anticipation_, a pressure, a heady presence; there was something just outside the walls of his cold place waiting to be let in. Wufei began to panic.

"NO!" he screamed, the first word he had spoken in another human's presence in nearly ten years. Although it _did_ startle everyone else in the room, he didn't notice. The pressure increased exponentially and he fought hard to keep the walls up, but his own mind was betraying him and they were slowly lowering. "Please no..." he moaned, but it was too late; there was nothing he could do. The presence rushed in, warm and earthy and absolutely mad. He screamed. He did recognize, almost immediately, that the tortured maelstrom of emotions was Trowa. He fought it. For the better part of half an hour, he fought the storm back, and the storm took ground.

Exhausted and defeated, Wufei gave up and let himself be caught and tossed by the torrent. Nauseous from the tossing, which seemed to get worse rather than better, Wufei reached out and tried to calm it. To his surprise, it did actually seem to slow. Emboldened and desperately seeking a way out of the sheer insanity trying to draw him in, he fought to the outside of the slowed storm and sought to enclose it, to at least minimize the damage.

An immeasurable length of time passed before Trowa calmed from a raging hurricane to choppy waters and Wufei collapsed, exhausted. After several minutes of just starring at the warm unease that had invaded his once cold sanctuary, Wufei began to notice other presences. In fact, four other presences. Infuriated by the further invasion, Wufei began to bat at them, forcing them backwards. For a moment, he thought they would fight him, but they withdrew, leaving him alone with Trowa's tortured mind. Wufei curled up in a small mostly untouched corner and fell asleep.

~*~

"He's..." Heero started, staring at Trowa's back.

"Amazing," Duo breathed. None of his Others, himself included, thought their sixth would be able to handle Trowa's tortured mind. They'd all been taken aback when he'd pulled Trowa out of their somewhat stabilizing embrace and had taken him on almost completely alone. Duo had immediately surged forward to take him back, but Zechs had held him back and they'd sat and watched in silence as Wufei struggled with his Other.

"I don't think he knows," Zechs volunteered finally.

"What?"

"That they've bonded. That Trowa was trying to forge the bond, not destroy him. I don't think he knows his strength, or even realizes that _he_ put those walls up."

Quatre's brow furrowed and he peered at that two intertwined on the bed. "But what Talent wouldn't..."

"He probably doesn't now that either," Heero interrupted quietly, sitting on the bed and brushing back Wufei's hair.

"Doesn't know what? That he's talented?" Duo asked incredulously. Heero nodded. "But..."

"Let's let them sleep. When they wake we'll have a bath brought up and get them some food. But for now, we should get _us_ some food." Zechs gently pulled Duo against his side and Quatre urged Heero up off the bed. Arm-in-arm, they went downstairs, where they were greeted with silence. Most of the patrons had fled and the innkeeper was nowhere to be seen, doubtlessly hiding somewhere. Heero rolled his eyes, leaned into the kitchen and called for him.

"Can we get some food?" Zechs asked when the man finally showed his face. He nodded, but didn't meet the other man's eye. "Why don't you join us for a meal? We'll need to talk to you," Zechs called after him as he disappeared through a side door.

When the innkeeper appeared again, there was a middle aged woman at his side. They both sported a painted ceramic tray pilled high with bread, cheese, stew and the few vegetables and fruits the harsh northern climate had to offer in the middle of winter. Zechs smiled gratefully and gestured to the empty chair beside him, Duo rising to pull another over.

"That's alright, my wife won't be joining us," Alork said, holding up a forestalling hand. Duo paused.

"No, really, I insist." The man nodded reluctantly and his wife left to retrieve two more meals. Zechs smiled charmingly at the innkeeper as though he had not been ready to kill the man not two hours before. Moments later, the portly woman reappeared and sat uncomfortably between her husband and Duo.

"This is a lovely stew, Mrs...?"

"Gorgan, milord," she answered, not looking up. Yet despite her demeanor, it was obvious that she was furious. Her downcast eyes barely hid her contempt.

Zechs smiled at her. "An eastern name, if I'm not mistaken?"

"You are not," Alork answered. His wife clenched her teeth. "My father was from the eastern providences."

"Ah. Which? Klesia? Norges?"

"Mellchin."

"Mellchin, well.... that is most definitely eastern." In fact, Mellchin was a western providence of Elgay, the small nation to the far east.

"What did'ja want to talk to me about?" Alork asked finally, almost sharply. Zechs slowly set down his spoon. "Milord," he added hastily.

"I wished to speak with you on the matter of my Other, and your former slave."

"Former! Why, how dare-" She was half out of her seat with both fists on the table, face red in anger. Alork put a restraining hand on his wife's arm and pulled her down.

"Allow me to explain your rather delicate situation, Mrs. Gorgan. I'd be willing to wager that your _former '_slave' is being held here unlawfully. Furthermore, your husband attempted to knowingly keep me from my Other. Both hefty offenses. I, being an officer of the king, am fully capable of taking the fullest legal action against you...without trial or appeal. Do you happen to know what that would be?"

She seemed to think it was a rhetorical question and didn't answer. The seconds stretched into minutes and Alork finally pinched her on the side. She jumped, glared at her husband and then muttered, "No.... my lord."

"Execution. For both of you. And, if I wished to be cruel, any and all of your children or relatives to include parents, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews..." he trailed off. "I'm sure you get the picture."

She blanched and looked like she was about to be ill.

"Therefore, you are lucky that I am _not_ a cruel man. You are furthermore lucky that I am also in a forgiving mood. Provided that you cooperate with us from this point onward, I will take no legal action. In fact, I will not even report it. Do we have a deal?" Alork nodded eagerly, and his wife quickly agreed. "Good. Quatre?" He turned to the slight air Talent. Quatre was the least intimidating of their craft and the most skilled with communication. It made him an excellent interrogator.

Quatre graced the couple with one of his charming smiles, drawing their attention. "I just need to ask you a few questions." They nodded and Quatre rewarded them with another dazzling smile. He braced his arms on the table and leaned forward "What is his name?"

Alork's brow furrowed. "I.... actually, I don't remember," he admitted.

"You don't... remember?"

Alork coughed nervously. "Uh.... Miranda?"

"Chang," she offered. "Wuh-fee or something like that. He's never talked," she shrugged. "We've always just called him 'boy' I guess." Though the four Talents were giving her incredulous looks, she could do nothing but shrug again, her face burning.

"Okay... Do you know how old he is?" Quatre asked, directing his questions to Miranda.

She chewed on the inside of her lip. "Not really. Miri was... eight, I think, when he came here. And she's...." her brow furrowed. "eighteen now, I think."

"So he's been with you for ten years now?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

"How old was he when he was brought here?"

Miranda shook her head. "I... I don't know. You know how those exotics are. He could have been four or eight, I dunno." She frowned.

_~She's not being very bloody helpful, is she?!~_ Duo commented dryly.

_~She's trying though._~

Duo gave the equivalent of a mental snort and withdrew.

"Are his parents still alive?" Both shook their heads. "Brothers, sisters, relatives, anything?"

"Don't know if he ever had any. It was just him and his parents, and they weren't much for talking."

"How did Mr. Chang come to be in your possession?" Zechs interrupted.

Alork turned to look at him, fiddling with his hands nervously. He cleared his throat several times. "Mir and I... put them up, you know, when they first moved here. Fed 'em, clothed 'em, gave 'em a place to stay. Until they could get on their feet, you know?"

"Very kind of you," Zechs conceded.

"Well... we expected to be repaid, you know? Anyone would! Two people and a little baby... well, it's a lot to support when you've got a wife and a kid of your own." Zechs nodded, cold dread coiling in his gut. "They... well, they built a shack outside town when the spring came along, started growing crops, paid us in grain."

"How much?"

Alork coughed, shifted in his chair and took a drink. "Not enough," he refused to meet Zech's eye.

_~He's hiding something,~_ Heero commented. Zechs nodded discreetly.

"Continue," he said calmly.

The man nodded, took another drink and stared at his hands. "They took ill one spring, and died in the winter. So we took the boy in to repay the debt."

"Ah. Well, that's quite interesting. Especially since I'm positive that it is frankly illegal to take possession of a minor child to repay debts without a written agreement made between the child's legal guardian and yourself, and notarized by a circuit judge. Do you have such an agreement?"

"Um.... well, I mean... no... but-"

"Did you even have a verbal agreement? Please don't lie; spirit Talents are especially adept at recognizing falsehood."

The man was shaking now, though he was doing his best to hide it. "Not... exactly."

Zechs raised an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with his craftmates. "So I was a little more correct than anticipated when I assumed you were holding him unlawfully. Lets add up the facts, shall we?" He rested his elbow on the table and examined his palm, slowly extending his fingers. "You took in a small family consisting of one woman, one man and small child for a winter? Part of a winter?"

"Part..." Alork admitted.

"Part of a winter, and they spent some years -I assume- paying you in grain, and probably more than enough. And then after their death, you take their only son and put him to work for ten years. I can't believe that they could have eaten _that_ much over _part_ of one winter. Or was there something else?"

Alork cleared his throat again. Next to him, his wife looked like she was ready to pass out. "No..."

"Hmm. Then I suppose it would be best, for your sake, if you go and fetch a bath and a cot before I find myself in a considerably less... forgiving mood."

Alork stood quickly, his wife already running for the kitchen before he'd even pushed in his chair.

"But make no mistake, Mr. Gorgan. I abhor you. I detest everything that you are and stand for. You are the worst kind of scum, and I hope someday you burn for it. And one more thing."

Alork froze in the act of turning around and looked nervously back at the angry spirit Talent.

"I believe you owe Mr. Chang quite a bit. And don't think I'll forget _that_."

He nodded slowly, and waited to be excused. Zechs made a dismissive gesture with one hand and the man hurried away before the Talent could change his mind.

~_Are you alright?~_ Duo asked quietly.

~_Are you?~_

_~We're all upset~_ Quatre gently intruded.

Zechs nodded. _~No wonder he's so suspicious of everyone and everything. I can't imagine...~_

_~I hate to be the one to point this out, but... even though it was wrong and illegal, they _did_ put a roof over his head,~ _Heero added, his quiet voice thrumming with sobriety.

~_You're right of course, but that doesn't make me any less upset. Quatre, would you go check on them?~_

Without another word, the air Talent rose and went up the stairs.


	4. THREE

THREE::

Quatre paused at the door and felt for Trowa's calming earth talent. The man was still fast asleep, his talent calm in a way it hadn't been for months. The air Talent smiled and gently pushed the door open.

He froze in the doorway, staring incredulously at the bed. Trowa was alone save for an indent in the rush mattress. He closed the door quietly and peered around the room. Could he have gone out the window...? No... he shouldn't have even been able to lift his eyelids, yet alone climb out windows!

"Wuh-fee?" He heard a hiss from the corner and turned quickly.

Realizing that he was caught, Wufei stood, though he kept the trunk he'd been hiding behind between himself and Quatre.

"I'm sorry," Quatre said, keeping his hands casually in front of him where Wufei could clearly see them. "I didn't mean to scare you. I was just checking on you and Trowa. How do you feel?"

Wufei glared at him, his thin lips pulled together tightly. He wouldn't meet Quatre's eyes and his hands were balled into fists at his sides. Without a word he stepped around the chest and edged for the door.

"Where are you going?" Quatre queried, sliding easily between Wufei and his escape. The boy glared at the floor. He pointed at the door. "Did you need something? I can get it for you."

Wufei's jaw clenched. He balled both hands in front of his body and made a sweeping motion. He pointed again to the door.

"Work, you mean?"

The boy nodded shortly and took another cautious step for the door.

"No, no," Quatre corrected. He caught Wufei's shoulders and lead him gently to the bed. "No more work." He urged his Other to sit and lifted a hand to brush his hair back.

Wufei jerked away from him. "No more," he hissed. His voice was so quiet that Quatre almost didn't hear him.

"No more?"

Wufei's arms trembled slightly and he refused to answer. His head was bowed so that his hair draped over his shoulders and hid his face.

"Wu-fee-"

The boy hissed again, though the sound was more a huff now that Quatre was paying attention.

"I'm saying your name incorrectly, aren't I?" He knelt in front of the fire Talent and set his hands lightly on Wufei's knees. It occurred to him that he was reacting to Wufei the same way he would a frightened child. "Can you tell me what it is?"

The silence stretched. Quatre was ready to give up when the softest whisper of breath interrupted the stillness. "Wufei."

Quatre smiled. "That's a beautiful name."

"Stop it." His voice rose enough to betray the crack of disuse. "You don't..." he took a slow breath. His knuckles were white and his jagged nails dug into the skin of his palms. "Don't have to... seduce me." The loathing was clearly evident and Quatre pulled his hands away from the other boy's thighs with a startled gasp.

"You thought I came here to...?" His voice caught in his throat. Wufei's jaw clenched and he shifted on the bed, turning to lay on his stomach. "No!" Quatre caught his wrist. "No, Wufei. I'm not going to hurt you. None of us would ever hurt you! You are our Other; family, Wufei."

Wufei jerked his arm out of Quatre's hand. "Stop it!" he commanded again.

"Wufei..."

"No! _Beat_ me if you want." His voice was reduced to a harsh whisper, the words almost inaudible. He pushed himself to his feet, forcing Quatre to fall back. "No more games."

The furious Talent turned and walked unsteadily for the door.

_~Wufei is leaving the room! Meet him at the stairs!~_ He pushed himself to his feet and hurried after the boy.

"Wufei, please, wait!"

~*~

Duo reached the bottom of the stairs just as Wufei was convincing himself that he was ready to go down them.

"Whoa, hold up a sec, I'll help you!"

Wufei glared at him and started down the stairs, Quatre reaching out to him imploringly. His knees, however, were not quite as ready to take on the stairs as Wufei was, and they gave out almost immediately. He shut his eyes tightly and waited for impact, but it never came. Wufei opened first one eye and then the other. A cloud of sprites was hovering around him, and his body was being supported by... water? His stomach lurched as the pillow slowly moved down the stairs, taking him with it.

"That was close, huh?" Duo lowered his hand and the pillow tipped, setting Wufei on his feet. At the top of the stairs, Quatre let out a relieved breath. Wufei looked at the hovering water pillow curiously. Dozens of bright blue sprites were still playing in it, splashing each other and zipping in and out of the pillow. He had never seen so many blue sprites before... he reached forward and one caught onto his extended finger and kissed the pad, giggling silently.

"Just water," Duo assured him with a slight chuckle. He made a cutting motion with one hand and the pillow popped, showering the stairs in a fine mist. The sprites quickly dispersed, only one remaining. She flitted over to Duo's shoulder and perched there, though he didn't appear to notice her. She waved at Wufei and blew him a kiss.

"You okay?"

Duo's hand landed on his shoulder and he looked up sharply. He nodded once and cautiously eased around him, aiming for the kitchen.

"Hoooold it, buddy. You need to sit down!" Duo grabbed both of his shoulders and led him to the table with gentle insistence. "Hee-chan is gonna get you some food. You gotta eat; look at you! All skin and bones... and hair."

Wufei glared at him and planted his heels, stopping their motion. He crossed his arms over his chest and pulled away from Duo again. The antics of these strangers were starting to get annoying! Without a glance, Wufei turned away from the table and walked purposefully for the kitchen. He was arrested en route by a tray to the chest and walked backwards under Heero's no-nonsense guidance to the table.

Wufei sat with the greatest reluctance and glared down at the bowl set in front of him. How could these people be so cruel? Didn't they understand what Alork would _do_ to him?!

"Please eat, Wufei."

He looked up at the soft voice. Zechs was staring at him intently, his expression serious and somehow sad.

"Do not worry about that pig innkeeper. He won't touch you again; you don't belong to him."

Wufei's shoulders fell. So he'd been purchased, then. He had lived in fear of this day for the last ten years. His life with Alork was not a good life, but he was warm at night, had enough food to stay alive and was otherwise mostly left alone. Who knew what life with these strange people would be like? If the insane torture he'd undergone at their hands already was any indication, he wasn't looking forward to it.

"Eat," Zechs repeated.

Wufei nodded mechanically and picked the spoon up. He blew cautiously across the stew and took a tentative bite. He never got meat with his stew unless one the patrons left it in their bowl and he was able to sneak it without being caught. He savored the taste, chewing slowly to make it last.

"How are you feeling, Wufei?" Zechs asked after a moment. Up until then, Wufei had done an admirable job of ignoring the way the table's other occupants were staring at him. He looked up slowly and nodded once. He didn't feel good – his head hurt and his joints ached and he was having a little trouble convincing his stomach to hold onto the food. But he wasn't going to tell _them_ that.

"Woo-_fey_, huh?"

Wufei tensed at the familiar voice and let his head drop again. He let go of the spoon.

"Eating at the table with guests, huh, Woo-_fey_? Guess Father finally found a use for you, hm?" Miri had a mean streak wider than the Greyvine River in spring and her voice dripped with it. "Hi, Sugar," she greeted, winking at Heero. His tablemates were staring at her in shock and Wufei just hoped that she said her peace and moved on before he was embarrassed any further. His friend the fire gnome wrapped his stubby arms around Wufei's spoon and tried to haul it out of the bowl. The little gnome gnashed his teeth and the spoon began to heat up under his hands. Doubtlessly, he meant to smack her with it.

Wufei quickly snatched the spoon away from him just as Heero pushed his chair back and stood.

"Fancy some fun?" Miri asked in an undertone, winking again. "I doubt you'll get much out of _that_-"

The word was cut off by the pressure of Heero's long _shegashi_ sword against her throat. "I will kill you," he said calmly. It was neither a warning, nor a threat. To Wufei's astonished ears, it sounded like a simple statement of fact, no more out of place than, 'I will go to the market today.'

"Listen to me scum," Miri spat. "I'm not scared of you!"

"_MIRI!!_"

"Don't worry, mama! If I can handle Emry when he's drunk, I can handle this little shit!"

Duo and Quatre stood as well, their hands going to their waists. Quatre carried an elegant-looking rapier and Duo set his wrists on the twin daggers at either hip. Only Zechs remained seated.  
"Miri, NO!" Miranda rushed forward and turned to Heero pleadingly. "_Please_, m'lord! She don't _know! _Please!" She grabbed his arm, pressing her large body close to his.

"That's alright, Heero, let her go."

Heero hesitated and then dragged the blade away with the flick of his wrist, leaving a faint pink mark where the edge of the razor-sharp blade had rested without breaking the skin.

"Hn."

"You should take your daughter and go, Mrs. Gorgan," Quatre suggested. Miranda nodded emphatically and grabbed Miri's pudgy bicep.

"Mama!" Miri complained.

"Be quiet, girl!" Miranda hissed, hurrying her towards the kitchen.

"You should have let me kill her," Heero said calmly, sitting back down. Quatre was the last to take his seat again and Zechs didn't so much as acknowledge Heero's suggestion. His eyes remained glued to the top of Wufei's head, and Wufei stubbornly ignored him.

~*~

Stuffed and still feeling queasy, Wufei was finally marched back up the stairs and into the room. His eyes strayed immediately to Trowa and he looked quickly away. The man was sprawled out over the bed, peacefully asleep. For some reason, that pleased Wufei.

What made him less happy was the bath that had been set up in the corner. And the four men standing around him who seemed to want him to use it. The thought of being truly clean, of bathing in warm water, of being able to wash his hair was a tempting one. The thought of doing so in front of strangers was far less so.

He chose the lesser of the two evils and edged towards the bed. Duo caught him around the shoulders and steered him back towards the bath.

"C'mon, Fei! We're gonna get you all nice and squeaky clean!"

..._Fei?! _He glared useless at the man, crossing his arms over his chest. Duo tried to push him towards the tub and he planted his feet, shaking his head.

"Aaah, got it. You're shy! Hey, you two!" he called over his shoulder, getting Zechs' and Heero's attention. "Scram! Go brush the horses or something!"

They left compliantly enough, but Quatre and Duo – and the unconscious Trowa- remained.

"Nothin' to worry about, Fei. Me and Kitty will help you with this tangled mess and then leave ya alone to do whatever you want. You can even leave your underwear on and I won't even peak!" Duo swore solemnly.

Wufei glared at him. Did he really think that the slave of a poor innkeeper was afforded with undergarments? He glared and Duo smiled back at him.

"Tell ya' what. Me and Kitty will turn around and you can undress and get in the water. See? There's bubbles and everything." He scooped up a handful of oily suds. "Nice and fluffy and they smell like..." he sniffed them, made a face and then quickly smiled. "Well, fluffy anyways." He let the suds drop back into the water and turned around.

Wufei looked at them helplessly, staring at the door with bitter longing, but they were between him and it and he didn't think he could sneak past them. Anyways, what would he do if he _could?_ They would just come after him and bring him back, and they might not be so accommodating about turning their backs a second time.

He sighed and began to peel his clothing off. In the harsh northern climate, getting naked was not a pleasant thing. Generally no one got completely naked to do _anything_, especially in winter. Wufei felt very awkward and small with his clothing around his feet and he hunched around himself as he hurried into the tub. It was little more than a large barrel that had been treated to hold water (and even then it still leaked) so the surface area was small, but it was deeper than Wufei was tall – thankfully a plank had been fixed part way up and Wufei crouched on the ledge, pulling his knees close to his chest. His fire gnome clambered up to the top of the barrel and leaned curiously over the edge. He backed away quickly and batted at the fluffy mountain of bubbles perched on the tip of his long beak-like nose. Wufei smiled at his antics and brushed away some of the bubbles so he could see the water.

For being a fire gnome, his friend was unusually curious of water. He stuck his gnarled hand under the surface and it immediately began to heat. He held his fist there until steam rose out of the little opening in the bubbles, but Wufei stopped him before the water could get too hot.

"Are you settled in, Wufei?"

He started, having almost forgotten they were there. He realized he would have to make some kind of noise, and tentatively tried the grunting "yes" sound that Alork made when he didn't want to be bothered.

The pair turned around and approached the barrel with casual care – they would have probably approached a caged tiger in the same way. Wufei glared at them.

Duo dipped his hand into the water and pulled it out, surprised. "Hey! They actually got the water hot! Imagine that!" He looked suspiciously at Wufei, but the exotic wouldn't meet his eyes. He shrugged and smacked his hands together, sending little droplets everywhere. "Alright! Let's get started!"

A curious tickling sensation ran up Wufei's body and then a stream of warm water lifted out of the barrel and dropped onto his head. He made a startled noise and wiped furiously at his face. Duo giggled. "Sorry," he apologized insincerely.

"Cut it out, Duo," Quatre admonished. He smiled reassuringly and offered Wufei two long glass bottles. "Which one do you like better?"

Wufei glanced between the two. One had a frosted orange stripe running along its circumference towards the top and one had a frosted purple stripe. Otherwise they seemed to be exactly the same. He shrugged.

"Smell them," Quatre urged, tipping one towards him.

Wufei glared suspiciously, but slowly leaned forward until his nose was close to the opening. A strange fruity scent wafted up and he jerked his head back.

"It's grapefruit," Quatre provided. "Have you ever had one?"

Wufei shook his head and cautiously sniffed the other. The familiar scent made him catch his breath and unexpected tears jumped to his eyes. He bowed his head to hide them and gestured to the lavender-scented bottle.

The two disappeared out of his sight and he ignored them while they worked on untangling his hair, Duo expertly pushing streams of water through the strands to loosen them up. The scent of lavender dragged him back in time and he closed his eyes.

~*~

_"These here, Wufei."_

_ Wufei ran over to his mother, giggling, his basket swinging on his arm. _

_ "This is lavender, little Wufei. It has great healing and restorative properties." She offered him a long purple branch of the small flowers and he buried his nose in them. _

_ "They smell like you, mommy!" he declared, throwing his arms around her waist and burying his face against her stomach. His mother's long hair draped around him like a cave of shimmering silk as she leaned forward. He grabbed a handful of it and pressed his face into the black locks. _

_ "See!" He offered the handful of hair up to her and she obligingly sniffed it. _

_ "You are right, my little one!" She swept him up and spun him around in a circle. All around them, the field was gold with summer and purple with lavender. "That is because mommy makes a special soap from the lavender." _

_ "Oh... can I help?" he asked excitedly, putting one hand against her cheek. His mother was the most beautiful person in the whole universe. Even more beautiful than the Goddess. _

_ "Of course! First, we must pick the lavender." She set him down. "But never pick a bush clean. We do not want to rob of its beauty." She folded her hands and bowed to the bush. "Great Mother Goddess, we thank you for your bounty." She removed a strand of her hair and let it fall to the ground. "Mei no mi kekinoshta. You are the breath and the life of the universe, Mother, and we thank you." _

_ Wufei repeated the words with his clumsy tongue and his mother gently pet his head, smiling. "Come!"_

_ They spent the day gathering lavender and other wild flowers and herbs, each packed carefully into his mother's large hamper or his small basket. The sun was setting the clouds on fire when they turned and made their way through the valley back towards home. Father was just visible on the horizon, leading his horse over the ridge. When they were close enough, Wufei broke away and ran to him. _

_~*~_

_ "_There! I think that's the last of them!"

Wufei was ripped forcefully away from the warm sunshine and opened his eyes reluctantly. His scalp was sore and his hair floated around him like like wet silk.

"Sorry that took so long, Wufei. You're a very good patient though," Quatre said by way of praise. Wufei did not respond and eventually he cleared his throat. "We'll get the water replaced if you would like to soak for a little while," he offered.

Wufei hesitated and then slowly nodded. It would be nice to be able to take a _warm _bath alone, to be clean and maybe piece his dignity back together.

"If you wanna bring over those buckets, I can cycle the water." Duo gestured to the buckets in the corner. The water had once been steaming, but was cold now. Quatre dragged them over and Duo made a wide gesture with one hand. Wufei couldn't help but watch as the pack of water sprites popped into the physical world with little flashes of light. They dived into the buckets and lifted the water out, playing in it as it hovered. At another wide gesture, Wufei's vision was suddenly filled with little blue bodies and flapping wings. He remained very still as they dived in all around him, rubbing intentionally against his body as they gathered up the soiled water and lifted it away.

Duo twisted his fingers and rotated his hands, depositing the murky water into the buckets and the clean water in the barrel. Wufei's little fire gnome clung to the side of the tub and watched with wide curious eyes. A small group of sprites swirled around him, shoulders bouncing in silent laughter while he batted at them irritably. Wufei opened his mouth to warn his friend, but it was too late and he lost his grip, tumbling over the side of the barrel. The laughing sprites pursued him over the edge and Wufei resisted the urge to look over.

"It would be much easier if you could do this," Duo said, interrupting his thoughts again. Wufei looked at him curiously, but Duo merely thrust both arms into the water until he was elbow-deep in the room-temperature bath. Wufei sputtered and backed away from his intruding hands. He expected Duo to reach for him, but the other boy just concentrated hard on the surface of the water. Wufei felt a slow pulling sensation, and then the water began to swirl, excited sprites swimming wide laps in the tub. Gradually it began to heat and Wufei blinked.

Once steam was again rising from the surface, Duo nodded in smug satisfaction and pulled his arms out of the water. The water slid off of his skin the same way it rolled off the oiled feathers of a duck, leaving him completely dry.

"Enjoy your soak. Here's some fresh clothes for you," Duo said, setting the stack on the side table. He turned immediately and left, and it was only then that Wufei realized Quatre was no longer in the room.

He watched the sprites play, his little friend again climbing back up to the edge of the tub. This time the gnome climbed onto his shoulder and held onto his hair for better purchase, kicking and swiping at the amused sprites if they got too close. Sure that his friend was occupied, Wufei finally turned to look at Trowa. The man had turned in his sleep and was cuddled around a pillow facing Wufei. It made him feel exposed, even though he knew that Trowa was sleeping. He ducked down further in the water and the gnome smacked him on the top of the head when the motion left the little creature ankle-deep in water and curious sprites.

_Sorry,_ Wufei apologized, his lips moving without sound. The gnome petted him consoling, but waved his finger in front of Wufei's face, warning him not to do it again.

Stuck, Wufei was forced to endure Trowa's imagined gaze until the water finally cooled enough to drive him out of the barrel. He snatched up the towel and used it to cover himself, retreating back to the far corner while he dressed, shooting Trowa surreptitious glances until he was finally decent. He took a few minutes to enjoy the clean, soft fabric, wiggling his toes in the wool socks.

Relaxed by the warm water and exhausted, Wufei curled up in the corner behind the chest and fell quickly asleep.


	5. FOUR

FOUR::

When Wufei woke, he was... comfortable. The cracked stone floor in front of the hearth was _not_ comfortable, so he knew he must have been tired the night before to have slept so well. He could feel his friend curled up against his stomach and thoughtlessly set a hand over the gnome. The little creature stretched and turned, his body heating up quickly as he woke. Reluctant to break the pleasant dream of warmth, Wufei stretched very slowly and kept his eyes closed. As he moved, his shoulder encountered a warm barrier and he wondered if he'd rolled right up against the hearth.

He slowly curled his back into it, seeking the warmth, but realized almost immediately that it was... soft.

Wufei's eyes popped open and he swallowed hard. He was not in the kitchen curled up by the hearth, but in the _guest_ room and there were other people in the other bed. His heart stopped when he realized what the soft warmth must be and he took an unsteady breath.

His friend opened his glassy eyes and stretched, sitting up. It was only then that Wufei realized there was not _one_ fey curled up against him, but _two_. The second was a petite wood nymph and she reached out imploring for the gnome, shivering at the sudden lack of heat.

The nymph's petulant look brought back the night before and the terror slowly faded.

_So it wasn't a dream?_ He gently scooped up the shivering nymph and nudged the gnome until the creature crawled onto his shoulder. Both fey out of the way, he cautiously slipped out of the blankets and stood. The wool socks protected his feet from the chilly bite of the floor and he turned to look back down at the bed. Trowa had turned in his sleep so his chest was against Wufei's back. Wufei was only glad that the man hadn't put his arms around him. He looked better than he had the night before; his color was returning and the lines of his face had relaxed. He was a lot younger than Wufei had initially guessed.

The nymph pulled on one of his fingers to get his attention and then pointed back to the bed. Lifting the blankets, Wufei obligingly tipped the nymph back onto the bed and she crawled immediately over to Trowa. The gnome then yanked on his ear and pointed imploringly to the bed as well. Wufei felt a little pang of something strangely like betrayal and set his friend back on the mattress. When he turned away from the bed however, the gnome hurried to the edge and caught his arm, climbing back to his shoulder. He smacked the side of Wufei's head and gave him an exaggerated sigh.

Wufei smiled slightly and quietly slipped out of the room, taking his discarded boots with him. He stopped on the stairs to put them on. They felt strangely tight over the thick wool socks and he twisted his toes uncomfortably in the confined space.

Downstairs, he automatically began the work of getting the little tavern room ready for whatever business the winter weather would offer them. The gnome hopped onto a table-top with little coaxing and amused himself with burning floating dust while Wufei worked.

"Oh, I see the high and mighty _Wufei_ is still willing to grace us lowly peasants with his presence."

He didn't turn around, but he could tell from the slur in her voice that Miri was drunk again. She draped herself over his shoulder, leaning her heavy body down on his. He bore the weight silently and remained still and placid beneath her stinking breath. He had learned quickly that fighting back only encouraged people like Miri.

"Do you think you're something special, _Wufei? _Hm? Do you think you're _worth_ something now? That being a Talent's whore makes you something better than you are?" She laughed, her voice high pitched and girlish like that maid that she never was. "Just remember, little _Wufei_," she said, toying with his unbound hair, "At the end of the day... you're nothing but a hole to him."

Wufei bowed his head, hands curling slowly into fists. He had been dealing with Miri's mean-spirited teasing since he was very young, and this morning was not going to be the morning that broke the iron hold he'd kept on his voice and his temper.

"What's the matter, _Wufei_?" She said his name like it was some kind of foreign disease. "Suddenly mute again?" She dropped one hand down his chest and fumbled clumsily at his crotch while she bit at his ear. "Come on, I want to hear that pretty voice of yours."

A sharp, furious pain at the back of his neck warned him of Trowa's arrival seconds before the Talent spilled down the stairs, crashing into the wall. Unaware of the danger, Miri laughed while she continued to fondle the boy she'd terrorized since they were both young. The floor beneath them shuddered and Wufei felt fear pull at his gut, sharp and primal. Before he could think to shout, the floor heaved and Miri screamed as dozens of thick, thorny vines shot out from beneath their feet and wrapped around her.

Wufei stumbled away from her as she was lifted off her feet, still shrieking as she was squeezed tightly. Angry earth fey flew around the room like a hurricane. Wufei spun just in time to see Trowa collapse. The man barely caught himself before his head hit the floor, and Wufei thoughtlessly crossed the room to support him. Trowa lifted a shaking hand to Wufei's face and touched two fingers to his cheek.

"Not true," the man whispered, his voice sounding pained.

Even if Wufei had felt inclined to speak, he wouldn't have been able to get a single word out over the commotion that followed. Duo came flying down the stairs, his agile body twisting before hitting the wall at the bottom so he landed neatly in front of Wufei and Trowa, twin daggers drawn and held out before his body. The rest of the craft came pounding down after him and the innkeepers appeared in the kitchen doorway.

Mrs. Gorgan screamed shrilly and her husband stared up at his thrashing daughter with wide eyes.

"Trowa, let her down," Zechs ordered gently, setting a calming hand on the irate Talent's shoulder.

Trowa hesitated, but reluctantly made a sweeping motion with one hand. His furious fey hesitated for a moment, seeming to debate whether they were going to obey him or not, but reluctantly pried the roots away from the sobbing girl. They made no attempt to cushion her fall and she crashed hard to the ruined floor. The thick tentacles slowly receded back through the floor, and several of the sprites took the opportunity to lash out at their former pray as they retreated.

Once the roots were out of sight, Alork visibly regained his famous temper and stomped across the room. He was careful to avoid the large area of shattered floorboards and his wife, who was laying across the whole boards while she dragged her hysterical daughter to the perceived safety of the untouched flooring.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Alrok demanded, stopping in front of Duo. Wufei noted that he stayed out of arms reach, and Duo seemed to notice as well. The seemingly good-natured boy was suddenly a very menacing figure as he took a deliberate step closer the innkeeper. The man flinched away, trying to cover up the step by planting his feet further apart and crossing his arms over his chest.

"I demand to-"

"Your daughter was accosting a member of my craft. You're lucky she's still alive," Zechs interrupted smoothly, his calm voice bringing the heavyset man up short.

"What sort of filth has that little shit been-"

This time it was not Zechs' voice, but the wicked point of Duo's dagger that cut off the man's speech. He swallowed hard, eyes darting down when the floor rumbled ominously. Zechs squeezed Trowa's shoulder again, and the noise subsided.

_Do you feel well enough to travel, Trowa? _Zechs inquired, catching the earth Talent's eyes and staring at him intently.

_...No. At least not for long. But I don't want to be here anymore, _Trowa returned vehemently. The exchange lasted a bare second and Zechs was straightening up.

"Duo, Quatre, if you could please assist Wufei and Trowa back to bed?"

Duo hesitated, his dagger still held at Alork's throat. Quatre gave him a gentle tug and he sheathed the two blades, spat on the floor at the innkeeper's feet and turned sharply on his heel. Heedless of Wufei's silent protests, Duo pulled him off the floor and swung the boy into his arms. Quatre helped Trowa to his feet and the four made their slow way back up the stairs.

"Listen to me carefully," Zechs instructed, taking a step towards the inneeper. "I do not want to hear another unsolicited word out of your mouth. I wish to see neither hide nor hair of your... charming family. _You_ will locate for us a cart, which I will compensate you for.... regardless of how little you deserve it. You will instruct your wife to prepare seven days rations for myself and my craft. Once you have completed these things, you will inform myself or Mr. Yuy-" he gestured to the silent metal Talent standing next to him, "and we will be on our way."

Alork nodded sullenly, hiding his big hands in his armpits.

"Heero, if you would be so kind as to accompany this _gentleman_ into the stables and find a suitable steed for our fire? If one cannot be found, don't trouble yourself. We'll purchase one in Tregres." He gave the innkeeper a dangerous smile. "May I suggest you complete your tasks in a timely manner?" he added politely.

The innkeeper nodded again and Zechs turned away, leaving him in Heero's dubiously gentle care.

~*~

Mr. Yuy was a sullen, frightening man. Alork walked quickly ahead of him, unnerved by the way the man managed to keep up, even though he didn't appear to change his pace any. A cold sweat was breaking out on the back of his neck, and he cursed the day he'd ever met those two damn exotics. Just a little boy, indeed...

He pulled the door to the stables open and stood aside, waiting for his unwelcome guest to precede him. The man merely glared at him, and for all that his arms were held at his sides, he seemed intensely menacing. Alork quickly slid around the door and into the stables.

Heero followed, waiting for the man to slip up so he would be justified in killing him. Really, there was a good deal of overreaction involved in the situation; for all that he was a little on thin side and obviously had been dealing with a criminal unjust situation for a long time, he was still alive and had not been permanently injured. At least, if this were any normal boy, it would be an overreaction. But this was _not_ a normal boy. This was their sixth, their fire, the member of their craft that had been missing for three agonizing years. The innkeeper was lucky he hadn't been killed on the spot.

Alork stepped into a corner and Heero surveyed the stables. The building was larger than the inn itself, and rightfully so. They probably housed a lot of merchants traveling from the far northern reaches to the capital. At lot of men could be squeezed into a relatively small space, but horses needed room. Their own horses were stabled in the larger stalls, and Wing greeted him with a disinterested whinny. He glanced around at the other beasts; he hadn't noticed anything salvageable when he'd been in the stables the night before, and so he wasn't surprised to note that all the horses were old and bow-backed. It would be kinder all around to have Wufei ride in the cart, or share a steed until they could purchase one.

"There is nothing-"

A sharp sounded interrupted him and he paused, cocking his head. It sounded like something big hitting the wall. He glanced over at the fat innkeeper. The man was sweating copiously and his beady eyes darted once to a far corner before he trained his gaze on the straw-strewn floor. Heero's eyes followed the wall to the corner and he noticed a door, half hidden with hay.

"What is in that room?" he asked, his voice remaining even.

"N-nothing!" Alork supplied. "Just... a cleaning shed."

"You are a very poor liar," Heero informed him. The man made a distressed noise as the metal Talent slid under the railing and started kicking hay out of the way. The noise came again, louder this time, and the door shook with the force of the blow. Whomever -or whatever- was being kept behind the door wanted out, and Heero was only too happy to oblige.

"You shouldn't-!" Alork tried, his normally deep voice raising to an almost girlish squeak.

Heero ignored him and yanked the door open. He wasn't exactly sure of what he thought he'd find when he opened the door, but the blood red eyes of a southern warhorse was not it. The enraged beast reared and Heero slammed the door shut, throwing his shoulder against it. The shock from the kick sent vibrations all through his body and he cursed as he applied his talent to the metal already in the door. It twisted and warped, holding the door in place while the berserk creature kicked madly.

Alork scrambled out of the stables, but Heero wasted no time with him. His Others were already on their way and it was all he could do to keep the rampaging horse from escaping.

Quatre slid into the stables first and Heero couldn't help a small smile from touching his lips. His kind, lithe lover was a sight to behold when angry.

~_Get the horses out of here!~_ Heero ordered, and Quatre set to the task immediately, joined by Duo as the braided water Talent came barreling into the room. Their own horses were well trained and only needed their stall doors open. Shinigami, Duo's famously elusive black gelding got his own door open and trotted out ahead of the others, swinging his tail smugly. Once the bigger war horses were out of the way, the two set to the task of coaxing the frightened old nags out of their stalls and into the courtyard.

Zechs was assisting Duo with the last of the horses when Alork made a reappearance. He had Wufei's arm clutched in one of his big hands and shoved the boy into the stables. Wufei stumbled under the force of the push and caught himself on one of the stall's railing.

"Wufei, leave," Heero ordered through clenched teeth. Zechs was already rounding on their host and Quatre was tugging on Wufei's arm.

"Stop!" the fire ordered, dragging his arm out of Quatre's grip. He glared at Heero and slid under the railing. He reached confidently for the door, yanking back the rusted bolt. Heero let the bolt go and the door slid open at Wufei's calm touch. The boy disappeared into the room and the pounding was abruptly stilled. Heero stepped back as the Talent reemerged with the temperamental beast in tow. Seemingly calmed, the big black stallion snorted at Heero and followed Wufei placidly.

"So this troublesome monster is yours?" Zechs guessed, appraising the horse. For all that he looked to have been badly kept, the horse was still a masterful sight.

"Nataku," Wufei confirmed quietly. He stroked the horse's neck and Nataku leaned down to nudge the boy's shoulder.

"I guess that solves the problem of a steed," Zechs conceded.

"Now, wait a tick!" Alork interrupted, his ire seemingly to have overridden his terror. "That horse is _mine_ fair and square!"

"Is that so?" The spirit Talent's shoulders were trembling ever so slightly and his eyes were narrowed. "Is that true, Wufei?" It wouldn't really matter if it were, they were leaving with the horse whether the idiot innkeeper liked it or not.

Wufei swallowed hard and darted his eyes over to his angry former owner.

"Wufei?"

He was not going to lose his dear friend! "Nataku was bred from my mother and father's horses," he said, drawing himself up and looking straight at his new owner.

"You little piece of -"

The air was suddenly alive with cracks of electricity and Zechs' hair lifted away from his shoulders under the influence of it. The air smelled of ozone.

_~Zechs, don't!~_ Duo interrupted. He stepped quickly between the infuriating pig and his mate. _~Calm down, you're not grounded...calm down.~_

_ ~Do not protect that swine from _me_!~_ Zechs barked.

_~We all want him dead, baby. This ain't the way. Calm down – you're going to hurt yourself. Or someone else.~_ By someone else, he meant another member of the craft. Zechs calmed quickly, taking a slow breath through his nose.

~_I apologize. That was reckless of me. Forgive me.~_ He knew an uncontrolled working was as dangerous to the caster's craft as it was to the caster himself and was appalled that he'd been pushed so far.

_ ~Already done,~_ Duo reassured him. ~_We're all at the end of our ropes.~_

"Do you know what a spirit killing is?" the braided water Talent asked the frightened innkeeper, whipping around to glare at him. The man shook his head, beady eyes wide. "Open your mouth one more time, and I swear I'll ground my Other fast enough to let you find out. Go get the cart."

Alork scrambled to comply and the courtyard slowly relaxed. The terrified old horses were lead back into the stables and Quatre and Duo stayed with them until they reluctantly calmed.

~*~

Wufei stood in one corner of the courtyard and watched the others. Nataku stood calmly beside him, occasionally stamping the packed, frozen soil.

Wufei's head felt fuzzy and he kept hearing noise like someone was whispering, but the words came in and out of focus, never quite becoming clear enough to understand. The gnome seemed unperturbed, so Wufei tried to ignored it and let his hand run over Nataku's big shoulder. He could still remember his father's horse, a beautiful black stallion, and his mother's black mare. The proud warhorses had been forced to become farm horses out of necessity, and his father's stallion had graciously pulled the plow and helped them break the tough soil. Without the giants, Wufei didn't think they would have lasted the first winter. Of course, as a child he hadn't realized that.

After his parents' deaths, Alork appropriated the animals and attempted to breed them. The man knew next to nothing about horses and Nataku was his only success, after he finally allowed Wufei to care for the animals. The mother, Saige, died in childbirth. His father's proud Shenlong was heartbroken and lasted only three days before he laid down and stopped breathing.

Wufei received the worst beating of his life for loosing the two valuable horses. He and his gnome spent the first frigid winter in the stables, caring for the colt, and Nataku thankfully survived. Alork planned to sell the beast to the first horse trader who passed through the village, but none would believe the ugly colt was of southern stock, even though the horse had the temper to prove it. Wufei was the only one who could get close to the stallion without risking loss of life.

Wufei looked up at the stallion and Nataku curved his neck to look back at him. The ugly, awkward colt had grown into a massive beauty, and at just three years, he was stronger and larger than any other horse Wufei had ever seen. Nataku nudged his forehead and he smiled, petting his broad forehead.

At the sound of footsteps, the horse jerked his head up and stamped one hoof warningly. Duo was approaching slowly. He kept his hands at his sides and smiled benignly. "Hey there," the water Talent greeted.

Nataku lowered his head to charge.

Wufei slapped him hard on one muscled shoulder and the stallion looked over at him sharply. Wufei returned his glare and Nataku finally tossed his head and refused to look at him.

"Quite the personality on that one," Duo said with a laugh. Nataku blew a gust of air out through his teeth. It sounded like a cross between a growl and a huff. The noise drew another laugh out of the braided man. "I just wanted to apologize," Duo said finally. "And I know Heero's sorry too, for throwing you around like we did the other night. We were just scared for Tro."

He looked genuinely recalcitrant and Wufei blinked at him. He didn't think that anyone had ever apologized to _him_ before. Maybe his parents, but that was a long time ago.

"We'll be ready to go soon," Duo promised. He gave Nataku one more appreciative look and turned away. Wufei turned and pressed his face into the horse's neck.

_Everything is so strange, Nataku_, he confessed silently to the horse. As if he'd heard him, the stallion tossed his head and leaned down to nudge him.

~*~

The cart arrived in short order and Wufei stayed out of the way, watching the group. Once the cart was in the courtyard, Alork unhitched the stocky pony pulling it and hurried away. He didn't look up once, but Wufei could tell from the set of the man's broad shoulders that he was steaming mad. Wufei could only pray that he wasn't the butt of some cruel joke and that these men – his new masters- really intended to take him with them. He would sooner be trampled by a herd of cattle than be caught alone with that man after the humiliation he'd suffered.

"Heero, can you reinforce this?" Zechs asked, pulling experimentally on one side of the cart. It complained loudly, the boards shaking under Zechs' grip.

Without a word, Heero reached into the pouch at his hip and drew out a handful of small metal pellets. He extended his hand without dropping a single pellet, and Wufei watched curiously, even though the others didn't seem to be paying attention.

Wisps of smoke and light, like miniature thunder storms appeared around his extended hand. It took Wufei several seconds to realize that the clouds were actually fey – metal fey. He inched closer, trying to get a better look at them; he'd never seen one before. The metal turned molten in the man's hand, glowing white hot. Wufei gasped, expecting him to cry out in pain, but the metal Talent only spread his fingers and the pool of molten metal rose to hover above his hand. It separated into dozens of droplets that began to spin, each becoming a perfect spike.

The spikes shot into the cart with lightening quickness, faint trails of smoke rising out of the new holes.

"Should hold," the metal Talent said, dropping his hand. The metal cloud wrapped around his wrist and rested there, slowly seeming to gain more shape until it appeared as a glimmering silver snake.

_A wisp..._ Wufei realized. He'd seen woodland wisps before; the playful creatures were one of the few that appeared commonly to humans, preferring to take on the shape of a misty ball of light. They were adept shape-shifters though and often hid in plain sight. He'd never seen a metal wisp, though.

"Come on, Heavyarms... your favorite thing." Duo was coaxing a giant warhorse slowly backwards while Zechs and Heero lined up the cart. Heavyarms certainly seemed to earn his name; he was stocky and deep-chested with furred hooves and looked frankly comical attached to the small cart. For all of that, the horse didn't seem to have a bad-tempered bone in his ample body and he bent his head to pull at the tufts of coarse winter grass he found at his feet, unconcerned with the cart or the other horses milling around him.

Duo disappeared back into the inn to bring Trowa down while the other men set about saddling the horses and loading their supplies. Quatre suggested that Wufei ride in the cart until they found him tack that would fit the massive warhorse, and brought him a thick horse blanket when he refused.

Wufei watched them carefully, bidding his time. While the craft was busy getting Trowa arranged in the cart, Wufei turned, grabbed onto Nataku's mane and swung one leg like a pendulum. He used the momentum to vault himself up the considerable distance to the horse's back.

Duo whistled and gave Shinigami a nudge. "Why can't you be like that so I can do cool stuff like that, huh?" he asked the horse, as though it were _his_ fault. Shinigami rolled his expressive emerald eyes and casually sidestepped, knocking Duo hard enough to land him flat on his rear. Duo sputtered and Shinigami looked down at him with a bored, patently innocent expression on his long face.

Seeing that the masters were well-occupied by Duo's antics, Wufei leaned low to his friend's neck.

_This is my last chance...one more run, Nataku!_

He pressed his knees in close and the giant lurched forward, kicking up a great cloud of dust and packed-soil. Before anyone realized what they were doing, Nataku stretched his impressive stride into an all-out run and they shot down the road.


	6. FIVE

A/N: For clarification, this is not intended to be a "rewrite" of "WarCraft." I was just so taken with the universe and the story idea, that I asked LittleMouse for permission to borrow the universe (which she gave). However, once they leave the village, the story is entirely my own, along with some obvious changes right off the bat. In fact, just to keep it that way, I stopped reading "WarCraft" after about chapter 10 or so, and have resolved not to finish reading the story until I've finished writing "Redemption." I'll consider it my reward for completing the piece. The "rewrite" is of the first time I wrote this story. :)

FIVE::

Already in his saddle, Quatre was the first to regain his wits and urged his delicate Sandrock after the fleeing Talent. The craft-mind was a jumble of curses and exclamations of stunned shock.

~_What is he _doing-?!~

~_Is he trying to get himself killed-?!~_

_ ~He doesn't even have a saddle!~_

Quatre took no time to add to the clamor, or the agitated rush of talent spilling into their shared consciousness. Trowa's heavy earth talent was the most oppressive and made his chest feel uncomfortably heavy. His Sandrock was the smallest of their warhorses; she stood a modest eighteen-hands and had a long swan-like neck and fine-boned pretty face. She was often underestimated, but the seemingly fragile horse was all sinewy muscle and she was built to _run_. Quatre had never encountered another horse that could out run his lovely lady, even among her own breed, but Nataku was giving them a good solid run for the money.

He briefly considered making use of his talent to slow the pair from their breakneck run, but dismissed the thought just as quickly. Unsaddled and in as poor condition as those two, increasing air pressure or wind speed would be just as dangerous as their current reckless pace. Resigned to run them down the old fashioned way, he pushed into the stirrups, lifting his body away from the saddle and leaned low against Sandrock's slender neck. He concentrated solely on being as small a burden as possible, body automatically adjusting with every shift of her weight.

He only hoped that they caught the fleeing pair quickly; this speed was bound to wear even

Sandrock out quickly.

~*~

Knees tight to the warhorse's flanks, Wufei did his best to keep his weight balanced. For the mighty southern, Wufei's weight was negligible, but he could already feel Nataku's sides heaving beneath him from the unaccustomed sprint and could clearly make out the sounds of distant pursuit getting closer.

_Just get me there ahead of them_, he pleaded silently. His friend was pressed tight to his chest, between Wufei and the horse. He hung on for dear life, small head pressed into Wufei's neck. _Sorry, little friend_, he apologized, but didn't lift himself up.

Nataku turned down the small drive almost without being told. Wufei marveled at how well his friend anticipated his needs and requests, but behind them, he could hear the thunder of pursuit getting closer still and leaned further into the giant warsteed.

The tiny shack was in a rambling state of disrepair. Wufei's father had intended to build them a larger house as soon as he had the time and the money, but he'd never gotten the chance. Wufei swallowed hard at the sight of his old home, still comforting, even in its decrepitude. With a small shout of warning to the agitated fire gnome, Wufei slowed the horse and leapt from his broad back before he'd even come to a complete stop. He rolled when he hit the ground, but the impact was hard and he fought to draw in air as he scrambled to his feet and vaulted the tiny fence, that had once been white, but was now nearly consumed by the undergrowth.

Wufei smashed into the shack and fought over a fallen beam, praying that the kitchen was still intact. He pushed through the spiderwebs into the slightly raised kitchen area and didn't even pause to sigh in relief when he realized that it was still accessible. Wasting no time, he dropped to his knees in the corner and tore through the packed earth, his mind whirling with nightmare images of the key missing... but he finally wrapped aching fingers around the antique thing and pushed himself back to his feet.

He made it out the back door and onto Nataku's back just as Quatre's sandy mare skidded to a halt in front. Before the man could register where he was, Wufei spurred Nataku on once more. The old riverbed was close, and Wufei again tossed himself off of his mount's back before the horse was even still. He rolled down the steep bank and landed on his back in an icy trickle of water, a sharp pain in his side momentarily making him see stars.

Nataku called out a warning in the form of a challenging whinny and Wufei pulled himself up. His hands were swollen, freezing and aching, but he dug under the roots of the old tree with fierce desperation, hands seeking the worn corners of an old chest.

The chest finally ripped free from the frozen soil and Wufei fumbled with the lock. For a moment, he dismayed that it was rusted beyond use, but some frantic wiggling and a hard jerk yielded a mechanical click and the lock sprang open. He pulled out his father's sword with none of the reverence it deserved and yanked it hastily out of its protective bindings. The steel came free with a shriek that made him wince, but he spun and brought it to bear just as Quatre made it down the bank.

Wufei was heaving. His side was on fire and his entire body ached like one big bruise. His hand shook, but he kept the sword leveled at the blond's chest.

~*~

Quatre pulled up short as Nataku reared, flashing his heavy hooves at them. The horse really had no particular dislike of them, he was just defending his master. Quatre could understand that and had no desire to hurt either of the two precious animals. He slid out of the saddle and backed away. Sandrock stayed between him and the snorting southern warhorse, drawing his attention by dancing to the left as though to pass his defenses. While the horses were occupied, Quatre ran the other direction, keeping the slopping riverbed to his right. Once he felt he was far enough away, he turned and slid down the bank, making a mess of his white pants and scraping his palms on the frozen, rocky soil. He started to run back the other way, his brows drawing together when he realized that Wufei was hunched over something and seemed to be trying to open it...

Before he could announce himself, the other Talent won his prize and spun, the shriek of a rusted sword renting the air. Wufei was panting with exertion and blood was trickling down one temple. Quatre put both of his hands in the air and stayed where he was.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he reassured the frightened boy. The rest of the craft was fast gaining on them and Quatre blocked out the confused jumble of their talents.

Wufei hesitated, eyes darting side-to-side. It was obvious that the boy hadn't thought this out well, and had no idea what he was really doing or where he was going to go. His arm faltered and Quatre tried to step forward. The motion called Wufei's attention and his sword arm straightened, the exotic's fierce glare training on him.

"He can't have them!" Wufei snarled finally, his voice a low growl that had less to do with an intentional desire to intimidate, and more to do with its lack of use.

"Who can't have what, Wufei?" Quatre asked calmly, but he was already getting an idea.

"They were my parent's!" Wufei protested, as if Quatre was arguing with him. "They were my parent's and no one can take them from me!"

"We're not going to take anything from you, Wufei. Is there any more? I can help you bring them out. Trowa will be here with the cart in a minute."

Wufei hesitated and slowly lowered the blade, puzzled embarrassment flashing over his features. His arm shook at his side.

~*~

"Why didn't you just ask us to stop and get them?" Quatre queried once all the trunks were free from the tree's roots and stacked in the river bed.

Wufei glanced at him and away. The truth was that he didn't know. It hadn't even crossed his mind that he _could_ ask, or that they would stop of he did. All he was thinking was that if he left without them, he would never be able to return to this spot, and the few things that he'd managed to save of his parents would be lost to him forever, or eventually dug up and sold at some cheap market.

The craft was assembled by that point and Heero and Duo slid down the bank to help haul the chests up without a word. No one mentioned Wufei's escape attempt and they all acted like nothing was wrong. His face burned in shame and his eyes stung with painful tears.

He refused to meet Zechs' eyes, but the other man only asked if he was alright. When Wufei nodded, the blond smiled at him and turned away. Only Trowa kept his concerned gaze and refused to dismiss the matter.

Wufei tried to ignore the way Trowa's green eyes burned into him and contemplated the problem of getting back on his horse. With the way his side burned, and the way it hurt to breathe, he was sure one of his ribs was at least cracked, if not broken outright. If it wasn't broken already, making the leap onto Nataku's back would certainly do the trick. He briefly considered telling the blond master of his injury, but quickly dismissed it, lowering his head as his cheeks once again burned in shame. He'd already caused enough problems for today. If he let on that he'd injured himself as well... they might just change their minds and leave him after all.

Broken ribs would be the least of his concerns if he had to stay with Alork.

Taking a slow, shallow breath, he stretched his arm up to Nataku's mane and prepared to make the leap anyways.

To his surprise, Nataku slowly lowered himself to an awkward crouch so Wufei could step over him. Trying to hide his shock, Wufei did so and the horse stood as smoothly as he could, as if being mindful of Wufei's injured side.

The fire gnome, who had been sitting cross-legged and cross-armed on the warhorse's back scrambled out of the way and then arranged himself between Wufei's legs and stubbornly refused to face him. Wufei sighed and patted Nataku's neck in affectionate gratitude.

"Is there anything else you would like to get before we leave, Wufei? Anything back at the inn?" Zechs asked calmly, easing his tall gelding along-side Wufei's even taller horse.

Flushing, Wufei shook his head and Zechs nodded. Even though no words were exchanged, they all turned at the same moment and started back for the road. Wufei marveled at their cohesion and slowly urged Nataku after them.

~*~

Duo kept up a constant stream of chatter, whether anyone answered him or not. They all seemed to be ignoring Wufei, which was fine as far as the exotic was concerned. He let the reigns drape over Nataku's neck and concentrated on breathing.

The fire gnome finally decided to forgive him and turned around to face him. His wrinkled face was further creased with concern and he reached out tentatively for Wufei's injured side. Wufei winced and he quickly withdrew his hand and then planted both fists on his hips and gave Wufei a sound, albeit silent scolding for his foolishness.

Wufei accepted the well-deserved lecture without protest. But once the gnome's expression shifted from angry back to concerned, he closed his eyes and reached for his dark place. It took longer to reach than usual, and he almost whined in frustration when it kept slipping just out of his grasp. When the walls finally built themselves around him, he could have cried for relief. The place was still wrecked from Trowa's mad entrance. He skirted the damage cautiously and returned to his tiny corner.

Sinking down, Wufei did his best to ignore the uneasy pressure left over from Trowa and concentrated on the pain. He imagined that the wound was being devoured in fire, and had to grit his teeth against the maddening pain of it. As the wound began to burn, he imagined that the pain was drifting away like smoke.

When he could stand no more of it, he let his dark place go and drew in a cautious breath. His side throbbed in time with his heartbeat, but the mental trick at least made it a little easier to breathe.

~*~

_~Is he sleeping?~_ Duo asked incredulously. He glanced surreptitiously over his shoulder and almost laughed. _~I think he is!~_

_ ~He's Working,~_ Trowa corrected slowly. His mental voice was flavored liberally with shock and concern.

~_No way,~_ Duo argued. ~_Guy's got no training. Doesn't even know he's got talent for heaven's sake. He ain't Working.~_

_ ~Look if you don't believe me!~ _Trowa had always been strangely detached, calm and steady like a mountain. His emotions had been brutally stamped out by the men his craft eventually saved him from. Only when the madness finally overtook him did those turbulent emotions break the surface. They were slowly starting to settle again, but there was nothing but indignant heat behind those words.

~_Fine, I will!~_ Duo didn't say it, but he liked it when Trowa got riled up and was a little sad that the other man would have to start burying his emotions again. Earth Talents couldn't afford to be emotionally unpredictable. Especially earth Talent with fire Talents for mates.

~_He is Working.~_ Zechs confirmed before Duo even got around to checking it out.

~_How?~_ Heero queried.

~_I'm not sure... Is he drawing on you at all, Trowa?~_

_ ~No... he's stopped now.~_

Duo whistled lowly. ~_Our little fire is something pretty damn special if he's Working with no training and no anchor.~_

_ ~Or he's very foolish,~ _Heero pointed out, logical as always.

~_You don't think... he could be a Native, do you...?~_ Quatre asked softly.

For several seconds there was stunned silence in the craft mind as they all considered the seemingly outlandish possibility. ~_Let's not jump to any kind of conclusions.~_ Zechs said finally. ~_There are a hundred different, and better explanations than that. No one has seen a Native in hundreds of years. If they ever even existed at all. He probably figured it out on his own, maybe even accidentally.~_

~_But it didn't feel uncontrolled at all,~_ Trowa argued.

~_I agree with Trowa,~_ Quatre interjected. ~_It _Felt_ like a Healing.~_

_ ~Fire Talents don't Heal!~ _Duo scoffed.

_~They _can_,~ _Quatre informed him a little testily. ~_It's just very painful.~_

_~I'm more curious as to what he needed to be Healing,~ _Heero added, pulling attention away from the quickly developing debate.

_~As am I,~_ Zechs agreed.

~*~

They stopped after only two hours. With their slow pace, Wufei could have easily run the distance between the little glade Zechs led them to and the front gates of Northhaven Village in maybe twenty minutes if he wasn't injured. And if _he_ could do that, someone from the village could just as easily get to them, probably in less time. He wanted to point that out and beg them to keep going, afraid that the villagefolk would decide to come after him, afraid that if they did come after him, the others would just let him go rather than risk a confrontation.

He wanted to, but he didn't. His traveling companions were already stripping tack off their horses and starting the process of setting up camp. He was caught by the comfort and ease between these men as he sat astride his horse and watched them in awe. They hardly spoke, but worked together as smoothly as if they were all parts of the same body. The scene was so strangely... domestic. It made Wufei feel like he was intruding on something deeply personal, and he slowly backed Nataku away.

"Do you need help down?" Zechs asked, appearing at his knee. For all that the man's voice was like living melody, it seemed obscene considering what Wufei had just witnessed.

He really could have used the help. Even though it no longer felt like a knife was being jabbed through his side every time he took a breath, he knew getting down was going to hurt. But he shook his head, for the same reasons he didn't want to tell them before. As soon as the others went to sleep, he would tear up the old ratty tunic he wore underneath the much nicer linen shirt he'd put on the night before, and use it to wrap his ribs up until they healed.

Zechs hesitated at his knee and Wufei finally took a breath, held it, and eased off the other side of the horse, putting Nataku's bulk between him and his master. Nataku kindly bent his knees so that the drop wasn't so far, but the shock of landing still brought tears to his eyes.

Wufei leaned on Nataku's shoulder for a minute, pulling the saddle blanket off as an excuse. Nataku curved his neck and gently nudged his shoulder, while the fire gnome pet his hand in an attempt at consolation. Wufei thanked them silently and mutely took the curry comb Zechs offered him. Nataku leaned into the brush, bad temper dissipating under the calm strokes as he all but purred under the attention.

~*~

His side ached fiercely, but he didn't falter in his calm strokes. Nataku's health was far more important than his own at this point. In fact, he didn't give up the brushing until Nataku finally made a noise that sounded something like exasperation and nudged him hard enough to force him back a step. The gnome scrambled off his back and he turned and trotted away.

Unaccustomedly bereft of anything to do, Wufei wandered into the main campsite. Duo was setting out bedrolls in pairs around the fire. When he noticed Wufei, he gestured him closer and patted the one he was currently smoothing down. The thick bag was on top of a small cushion; light enough to travel easily, but just thick enough to keep a body off the ground.

"We've been packing this around for months..." Duo told him, smoothing the black fabric down almost affectionately. "It's never been unrolled before." He grinned up at Wufei, patting it again. "All yours."

Duo didn't seem offended when Wufei didn't respond or come closer, but just stood and wandered away whistling. Trowa was already settled in the bedding next to his, sound asleep, a small frown marring his face. Wufei stared down at the black bedroll for awhile, not quite understanding the significance, but he couldn't deny that he was happy he wouldn't be sleeping directly on the ground.

"Do you need help with anything in the cart?" Quatre asked, seeming to appear out of thin air. He had a worried expression that didn't quite hide his curiosity. Wufei hesitated, concerned that they would take it away from him if they saw the contents of his precious chests. But then again, they already owned _him_... it wasn't like he could say no. He nodded shortly and Quatre all but bounded up to the cart. Heero rose without being asked to and helped the slender blond drag the cases out of the cart.

The brooding metal talent didn't stay around to see the contents and walked away silently as soon as they were all unloaded. Quatre helped him get the locks open, though Wufei saw the metal fey swarming all over them and knew Heero was a little more curious than he let on.

The scent of leather wafted out of the chests like a cloud. The precious Lurikan leathers were worse for wear and Wufei winced as he reached out to run one hand over his father's saddle. The black leather was meticulously etched with red symbols he couldn't read but knew by heart, and he traced them as sadness welled up inside his chest. His mother's saddle and tack was stored in another of the chests, along with the fancy panoply.

Wufei smelled the lavender before he even noticed that Quatre had the last chest open. Just like before, the scent dragged him back and he closed his eyes.

~*~

_"What are you doing, mommy?"_

_ Mother coughed. She clutched her chest and bent over, covering her mouth hastily with a cloth. The white square was soaked in medicine and she breathed it in. When she pulled it away, it was spattered with blood. _

_ She tried to smile with her white lips. Out in the yard, they both heard Father wheezing as he fought to drawn in air. Wufei itched at his face around the cloth tied around his mouth and nose. It smelled nice, but it was itchy and it made his chest feel funny. Mother wouldn't let him take it off though. _

_ "I'm packing away some things for you, little one," Mother told him finally. Her voice was weak and sounded dry and painful. "Come and look," she offered, backing away a little. Wufei knew his parents were sick and didn't want _him_ to get sick, but it still hurt a little that he wasn't allowed to be near them anymore._

_ The chest was packed with silken fabrics and he ran his hands over them. She pointed out the little pockets in the lining of the chest where she'd secreted some jewelry and little baubles. He picked up a branch of lavender and twirled it between his fingers. _

_ "I've filled the chests with herbs, so nothing rots," Mother explained. She continued packing the chest up, filling it with more lavender and other herbs, working her peculiar magic. He noticed a little creature poking a curious head into the chest and didn't say anything. He didn't think his parents could see them, and he didn't know if it was alright that he could. _

_ Wufei watched with a growing sense of alarm as she moved slowly around their tiny cottage and packed up every valuable thing they owned. That night, Father put them in the back of the cart and told Wufei to climb up as well. Even at 10 years old, Wufei would have normally held out his arms and asked to be helped up, but Father was disturbingly white and he shook. Wufei's father had always been the strongest person in the world, but he looked... fragile. _

_ They drove to the dry creek bed and Wufei helped him dig the soil out from under the old tree. It took most of the night and Father was swaying on his feet by the time they packed the soil in around the chests again. _

_ "Remember this place, Chang Wufei," Father said solemnly in his voice that was quiet and painful, but somehow still strong. _

_ Father never called him by his formal name and it made Wufei nervous. He nodded and promised that he wouldn't forget. Father needed help up the steep bank and back into the cart. That frightened him more than anything else._

_ Before they went back inside, Father caught his shoulder and pulled a small purse out of his pocket. He handed it over, its contents jingling as it hit Wufei's hand. "Hold onto this for me, Son," he said and then, after a pause, "I'm proud of you." _

_ "Father?"_

_ Father squeezed his shoulder again. "I love you," he told his son and dropped his hand and made his way slowly into the house. Wufei watched him go, tears streaming down his face and soaking into the medicated cloth around his mouth. _

_ The next day, Father collapsed in the yard and didn't get back up. _

_ Their house was silent the way it was never silent. Mother didn't cry, and Wufei hid his tears with his sleeve. He helped his mother build the pyre and she filled it with aromatic herbs. The pyre wasn't as big as it should have been, and depressed, rather than raised. She draped a white cloth over his husband's body and removed her mask for a moment to press her lips to his. _

_ She secured the mask again and stood there, shaking. Wufei lit the pyre because she wouldn't, and watched it burn, even though the smell and the smoke made him feel sick. _

_ Still silent, Mother cleaned every surface of their little cottage with hot water and the sharp-smelling cleaner that made her hands turn red and crack. She made sure there was plenty of medicine and made him bathe in scalding water until his skin was chaffed and red. _

_ She hugged him briefly and told him that she loved him. Wufei cried himself to sleep that night, tucked in the corner far away from her. He wanted to crawl into bed with her, the way he had as a child. He wanted to be comforted and share his grief, but she refused, shaking her head sadly. Somewhere, he understood that she was just very sick and didn't want him to get sick, but with Father gone it didn't seem to matter so much. _

_ He was strangely numb when he ventured into her room the next morning to wake her. She'd probably been dead for hours. _

~*~

"Wufei? Are you okay?"

Wufei ducked his head and turned away from _that_ chest. He hauled his father's saddle out of the one in front of him, ignoring the way it made his side burn, and began to look it over. It wasn't fit to bear weight, and the straps were brittle enough that they would probably break if he put any pressure on them at all. He sighed, guessing that his mother's purple and green tack would be in much the same condition.

He was startled when Duo stepped in front of him with a repair kit, but mutely accepted it and started the process of getting the leather into usable condition. He was aware that he was under scrutiny for all that the others took care to ignore him, but he, in turn, ignored them and concentrated on his task. He was forced to strip the straps all together and replace them with new ones that didn't match, but at least wouldn't break. For all that it looked rough, the saddle itself was actually in good condition once he concentrated on it, and he guessed that he would be able to use it when they broke camp.

The scent of lavender mingled with the smell of saddle soap and he probably wouldn't have noticed the tears at all, except that they were getting all over the leather.


	7. SIX

SIX::

The scent of the stew dragged Wufei out of the depths of his depressing reminiscences and reminded him that he was hungry. More accurately, his stomach reminded him that he was hungry with an embarrassing growl. The gnome tutted at him from where he was seated on the crest of the saddle. Wufei glared at him and focused on his work. The sunlight was beginning to fade, and he wanted to get as much done as possible.

"Hungry?"

Wufei looked up, a little startled to see Zechs standing there with a plate in either hand. His stomach grumbled again and Wufei flushed, looking away. A moment later, the saddle was pulled gently out of his lap. The fire gnome clutched the pommel to keep from tumbling off and then marched across the swayed seat to give Zechs a scolding the man couldn't see to notice. Wufei's lips twitched upwards, widening into a small smile when a plate replaced the leather.

"You've been working at that for hours," Zechs commented, sitting next to him. "Do you need any help?"

Wufei shook his head, picking up the fork with swollen fingers. Between the digging and the mending, his hands felt like they were ten times they size they were _supposed_ to be.

"You should let Quatre look at your hands for you," Zechs suggested. His voice was deep and melodic and seemed to make the air sing. Wufei felt immediately more at ease with him, and that made him suspicious. Light colored fey that he'd never seen before swirled between them like ghosts. Zechs was doing something to him...Wufei curled around his hands in an unconscious attempt to hide the weakness.

"May I ask you a question, Wufei?"

It seemed like an innocent enough request. Wufei shrugged his shoulders, carefully spearing a piece of meat and chewing it slowly. He could tell that the meat had been dried, and was only softened by stewing for so long. It wasn't quite as flavorful as the fresh meat he'd enjoyed the night before, but he still savored it.

"How old are you?"

Wufei was immediately suspicious, though he wasn't sure why. He glared at Zechs sideways, dropping his head so his hair covered his face.

"Why?" he managed.

Zechs shrugged, seemingly unconcerned by his suspicion. "Curiosity, mainly."

He seemed so unconcerned by the answer that Wufei felt himself relaxing again, and again noticed those strange fey drifting around them. "I will be twenty-one years this spring," Wufei told him finally.

Zechs seemed mildly surprised by the answer, but didn't explain why. "I'm very happy to finally have you with us, Wufei. We've missed you."

It was such a strange thing to say, that Wufei didn't know how to respond. "Why?" he asked again, puzzled. He was torn between paying attention to his master and enjoying his meal. He quickly scooped up two more pieces of meat and hastily shoved them into his mouth, trying to come to a compromise between the two.

"An incomplete craft is like a man who's missing one arm," Zechs told him. He smiled, and his skin seemed to glow in the firelight. "It feels... nice to be whole."

Wufei was growing uncomfortable with the conversation, though he was still unsure why; he didn't even understand what Zechs was talking about in the first place. His eyes wandered around the camp, searching for something to change the topic. They finally rested on Trowa, still curled up in his bed roll.

"Why does he sleep so much?" he asked quietly, using Zech's momentary distraction to his advantage and spearing the last few pieces of meat and a piece of tuber.

"He's been heart sick for a very long time," Zechs told him. His voice was a little more somber as his eyes were drawn to his sleeping earth Talent. "He's missed you the most."

"You say that like..." Wufei focused on the words. He wasn't used to speaking to humans and it was a strangely disconcerting experience. His friend pat his knee helpfully, and then reached into the plate and stole a handful of thick broth. "Like...I was always with you," he whispered finally. He was scanning the plate judiciously for any straggling bits of fat or meat. "And I was just missing."

Zechs reached over to touch his shoulder, and Wufei flinched away automatically. Startled, the fire gnome reacted with his typical brave aggression and clambered over Wufei's lap to swat at Zechs' offending hand. Wufei barely had the presence of mind to grab the little creature before he could reach his target, disguising the motion by moving his plate off his lap.

"I've always known you, Wufei... I just didn't know where you were." The man smiled and seemed to think that this was reassuring. It sent strange shivers down Wufei's spine and he tried to casually pull away from the man's touch. He wasn't used to being touched; it felt weird.

Far from being discouraged, Zechs reached over to take his chin, forcing him to look up. "I've always loved you, little fire," he whispered.

Wufei's eyes widened, and then narrowed to points. He yanked away from his master, perhaps foolishly. He was exhausted, he hurt, and he was hungry, and normally he would have bit down on his temper and let the man paw at him if he wanted, but all the stress of the past two days snapped his control and he rose stiffly, cast one last longing look at his plate, and then stomped off.

Let them chase him if they wanted to, or inflict more of their strange torture on him when he got back. He wasn't going to put up with the lying. Slaves had no say in how they were used; he'd been one long enough to understand _that_ at least, but he wasn't going to let them strip him of what was left of himself and his dignity by falling into the trap of thinking that they _cared._ No one cared, and when they said they did, it was usually just so the betrayal hurt more. He'd learned _that_ the hard way.

~*~

Zechs was a little stunned, and stared after Wufei's retreating back with a pole-axed expression.

_~What did I say?~_ he wondered. A general swirling of confusion was his only response. ~_Someone should go after him.~_

There was a moment of hesitation as each weighed how likely they were to be greeted with a friendly response. Without adding to the discussion, Heero stood, retrieved Wufei's plate and forged after him.

He found the slight exotic seated on fallen tree. His back was pressed to an adjacent trunk and he had one leg pulled up crosswise. Heero did not miss that he seemed to be favoring one side and filed it away. The boy – _man_, Heero corrected himself automatically; they had all thought Wufei was quite a bit younger than it turned about to be – eyed him warily. Heero didn't speak, but handed him his plate and sat down next to him.

Wufei's friend sat staunchly between them, waiting for Heero to make a wrong move. Wufei stilled the little gnome's temper with a discreet poke. Wufei liked Heero well enough. The man was quiet and he made sense to Wufei in a way that the others didn't.

He finished his food, grateful for Heero's silence. When the plate was empty, Wufei set it down so his friend could swirl his fingers through the last of the leftovers. He was pretty sure that the gnome didn't actually _need_ to eat, but he liked to, so Wufei obliged him when he could. Darkness had fallen and the trees were all but lost in the shadow of twilight. Wufei felt a strange sort of safety beneath the veil of darkness and took a slow breath.

"Is he very cruel?" he asked slowly.

Heero watched him carefully. Even through the darkness, Wufei could feel Heero's eyes on him. The man was weighing him, measuring him up.

"I was a thief," Heero said after a long silence.

Wufei looked up in some startlement. It was an unexpected statement and it caught him off guard. He searched for some way to respond, growing frustrated with his lack of social grace. It had never bothered him before, but _now_...

"When I outgrew my usefulness, my employer meant to sell me to a brothel." Heero's voice was even and slow, as if he was unaffected by the recounting. "Zechs arrived in time to save me from that fate."

"To what fate?" Wufei whispered.

"You are laboring under a false assumption," Heero said after a pause. "Zechs did not purchase me. Nor did he purchase you."

"What?"

"You are a free man. As you were meant to be. The innkeeper was holding you unlawfully."

Wufei glared suspiciously. He searched the words for deceit, but couldn't detect even the slightest waver. His friend -surrounded by a red halo in the darkness- nodded his head slowly and deliberately.

"What would you do...if I left?" He was suspecting that even if he was a 'free man' that only extended so far as the confines of their group. It seemed impossible to consider that it might be anything else, with as much effort as they'd gone through to secure him.

Heero seemed to consider the question. "We would have to get a surrogate. Quatre and I have assisted Trowa before... we could do so again."

"You would... let me go?" There was a kind of wonder in his voice that made him flush.

"Do you want to leave?"

Wufei thought about it, his brows drawing together. No one had ever asked him what he wanted before, and he wasn't sure how to react. Did he want to leave? He belonged to Alork for nearly eleven years, and for every day of each of those years, he consoled himself that one day he would leave. He never really thought about where he would go, or what he would do when he got there.

Now that he was being given the choice, it didn't seem like such an attractive thing.

He bowed his head and reached out slowly. Heero glowed faintly silver and the fey around his wrist twisted sinuously up his arm. The silver snake lifted its head from Heero's forearm and flickered a chilly forked tongue at Wufei. He traced a fingertip over its head and the thing vibrated in a silent purr. Heero tipped his head to look at him. Unexpectedly, he twisted his wrist and caught Wufei's hand.

The exotic blushed, realizing that the man didn't know what he was doing and must have mistook his actions. He tugged gently on his hand, trying to free his fingers.

Heero's hand tightened. "Zechs tells you that he loves you, and you run away." His voice held no recrimination, but his grip was tight. "Zechs has his mate... and he's strong enough, in his way, to take that. Do not do the same to Trowa."

Wufei remembered the way Heero had looked at Miri and said, _I will kill you_, and felt a shudder slip down his spine.

"Love is such a meaningless word," Heero continued, his quiet voice blending with the ambient sounds of the forest. His metal wisp was slowly creeping over Wufei's fingers, wrapping its cool body around his swollen wrist. "It's meaningless if you don't understand."

"Do you understand?" Wufei's voice was hoarse from the stress of use.

Heero didn't answer, but his fingers gently squeezed Wufei's hand and withdrew. The wisp weaved its long body through each of Wufei's fingers at it retreated with Heero's hand. Where the fey touched, his fingers felt pleasantly numb.

Heero picked up the plates and stood from the tree. "If you're going to leave, you should return to camp, and get your horse and things."

Wufei carefully stood, putting cautious pressure on his left leg. "You should let Quatre look at your ribs, as well. They'll get infected."

Wufei stared at him in shock. Or at least, he stared at the silver glow that roughly defined the metal Talent.

"How did you know?"

"How does the right hand know that the left is injured?"

Wufei puzzled at his answer and said nothing.

"Duo will be here soon with a torch. You may gather your things then if you like."

A strange indignation was welling up in Wufei and he fought _not_ to suppress it. If he was a "free man" he was allowed to be indignant! He grabbed the gnome by the back of his lop-sided vest and deposited the creature on his shoulder. The gnome yanked on his ear in protest, but held onto his hair and sat still. Wufei then took Heero's wrist and gave him a tug.

The man seemed impossible to ruffle and followed along without protest or resistance as Wufei led them easily through the dark forest, deftly navigating protruding branches and hidden roots.

Duo met them at the line of the trees with a blazing torch. "Nice night eyes, dude. Black as pitch out there."

Wufei ducked his head and let go of Heero's wrist. When he tried to move away, Heero caught him. "You talk to Quatre, or I'll talk to him," the man whispered.

Wufei's brow furrowed. He pulled his wrist out Heero's grasp, not understanding what talking to Quatre could possibly do about his injuries. Heero let him go, and didn't ask if he was going to leave or not. Wufei picked his way over to his bedroll and lowered himself slowly, trying not to jar his side. He stripped off his boots and wrestled his way into the tight bag. Next to him, Trowa shifted in his sleep and rolled closer to him. Wufei lay silent and still and tried to make sense of the day.

~*~

Heero was expecting to be questioned, and so he wasn't surprised when he felt the strange numbing sensation of his secondary links being systematically shut down. When his primary link to Quatre dimmed to a tiny thread, he felt a moment of panic, but Zechs' talent rushed in like a heatwave and he drifted on the warmth of it. The touch of Zechs' spirit was difficult to explain. It was like being wrapped in a blanket and submerged in warm water. Time seemed to drift in suspension and he waited.

_~What did he say?~_ Zechs asked quietly. His mental voice was like something ancient and primal.

_~He is... damaged. As we all were. He thinks you purchased him.~_ He related his encounter with their sixth and let Zechs sift through it.

A wordless wave of agitation rippled through the core of Zechs' talent. Heero immediately felt it like it was his own; it boiled in his veins and clutched at his throat until it was difficult to breathe. Of the entire craft, he was most suited to dealing with Zechs' occasional emotional outbreaks. Rather than weathering the storm, he let is pass through him, filtering the sorrow and agitation through his own barriers and passing them back out in smooth lines.

Zechs calmed gradually. _~I will have to disabuse of him of that notion.~_

~_Be careful of how you do it. I told him he could leave if he wants to. Scare him, and he might.~_

_ ~...Thank you, Heero.~_

Zechs' talent evened out and withdrew with all the grace of a retreating wave. Heero felt the loss keenly and was momentarily overcome by a rush of loneliness so piercing that it translated to a physical pain not unlike what he thought a heart attack might feel like. His secondary channels opened one by one, and Quatre's soft air talent filled the void like a cushion. His lover sent a warm pulse of comforting affection and pure golden love down their link. Unlike Zechs' spirit, Quatre's air talent was cool and soft. He let it wrap around him and finally opened his eyes.

Heero rolled his shoulders slowly and wiggled his toes, working each limb until the numbness faded. His and Quatre's sleeping bags were connected and as he rolled willingly into his lover's arms. Quatre twined his fingers through Heero's hair and dragged him forward into a kiss. Quatre's lips were comparatively hot against his, and he burrowed into the warmth. Spirit linking always left him chilly and feeling bloodless.

~_He's being very careful with our fire,~_ Quatre commented.

~_Our fire needs to be taken care of.~ _He shivered a little in reaction when Quatre's warm hands slid up his back and kneaded at the tense groups of muscles. He sighed and relaxed into his bonded's talented hands.

~*~

Across the fire, Duo draped one leg over his mate's hips.

"How do you feel, love?" he whispered. For all that mindspeech was like breathing between them, sometimes it was comforting to hear his mate's voice.

"Like my left arm has been dead for thirty years and it's starting to wake up."

Duo laughed softly under his breath and pinched his lover's left arm playfully. "That help any?" he teased. Zechs captured his hand and held it to his chest. He dragged it up and nipped at the tips of Duo's fingers, sucking on the last consolingly when he bit it a little too hard and Duo hissed at him.

"Imagine how Trowa feels," Duo whispered after a moment of silence. He smiled against Zechs' chest and cuddled closer to his lover. "We can finally begin full training,"

Zechs rolled onto his side, trapping Duo's legs with his own. ~_Let's not rush the war.~_

_ ~There's nothing wrong with being prepared, love. And what is there to rush? There is always a war.~_

~_Let's not rush us being a part of it,~_ Zechs amended. He was a colonel in His Majesty's army. He was a military man. A warrior. He was bred and trained to lead wars and fight and win. Until the moment Duo's tempestuous water talent invaded his veins, he'd meant to fight and to train his craft to fight. They were too precious to him now, and staring across the fire at his long missing sixth, his heart was in conflict with itself.

~*~

The sun was just barely peering through the trees when Wufei stirred. Trowa was pressed tight to his back, and their hands were tangled together at Wufei's shoulder.

Wufei swallowed hard and very slowly untangled his hand from Trowa's fingers. Trowa protested for a moment, making a strange sound that reminded Wufei of a wounded animal, but he didn't wake and finally released Wufei's hand.

Being mindful of his side, Wufei carefully extracted himself from the bag. He sat up and carefully prodded his wounded side, inhaling sharply at the stab of pain. He flexed his fingers one at a time and forced himself to stand. The fire gnome crawled out of the blankets behind him, yawning like a misshapen cat, and Wufei knelt at the fire. Some embers were wrapped up tightly in a bundle, smoldering beside the fire, and Wufei carefully prepared the fire and unwrapped the bundle. He was automatically slipping back into his role as servant; be quiet and don't get noticed, get things done before anyone could think to ask for it.

He was just setting the fire bundle in a bed of dry moss when Heero shifted next to him. "Manipulate it."

The man's voice made him jump and he nearly lost the bundle. He glared at the metal talent and hesitated with the coals slowly burning through the rubbery leaves now that they were exposed to the air.

"Use your talent and manipulate it," Heero clarified. He was managing to speak very softly without it seeming like he was whispering.

Wufei had no idea what he was talking about. He _was_ going to ask his little friend to get the fire started since everyone was asleep, but that was out of the question now. He tipped the ember into the bed of moss and started to blow on it gently.

Heero snaked an arm out of the shelter of his bag and caught Wufei's wrist. "No. Bend your mind to it and make it catch the logs."

Heero's eyes and voice were so intense that they were making Wufei nervous. He shifted further away from the stoic talent, dragging his wrist out of Heero's gentle grip.

"Concentrate," Heero instructed. "See the fire starting, feel the warmth of it down in your bones. Speak to the ember, force it to submit to your will... make it burn."

Heero's voice was sending shivers over Wufei's body. His voice sounded almost inhuman and it rang against something in his chest like someone striking a bell that had been left silent to gather dust for years. He _felt_ the warmth, like his bones were turning to white-hot embers and scorching the inside of his body. It made his injured side throb. He looked in a sort of horrified frustration at his friend. The gnome had a strange look on his small face. His eyes were wide, and a smile stretched across his craggy face like nothing Wufei had ever seen. It looked like lust, like feverish longing. His eyes were normally dull, coal black, but now they glowed like hot coals. It looked altogether terrifying and Wufei backed away from him sharply.

He stood to run, but forgot that the fire pit was hemmed in on all sides and tripped. He twisted to avoid landing on the tangled bodies and instead landed hard on his injured side. Tears stung at his eyes and he drew in a startled breath as pain lanced down his side and around to his chest.

Zechs woke with a start, automatically reaching out to catch him. Duo was fighting a loosing battle with the combined sleeping bags and sounded like a trapped cat. The noise roused Quatre, who escaped the sleeping bag with a good deal more success than Duo, and stood alert, looking for all the world like he expected a bear to come thundering out of the woods.

Wufei's cheeks burned in equal parts anger and embarrassment. The two emotions were in direct conflict with each other, but both seemed perfectly rational. He shook his head, a small distressed noise fighting past the blockage in his throat. His blood was roaring his ears like fire and the heat was spreading, making him shake. He'd kept such a tight control on his emotions that he'd almost forgotten this heat, this wonderful, glorious heat, this amazing heat that could _burn_ and _destroy_-

_~...calm down, Wufei...~_

The voice made him gasp in shock and knocked him loose of the grip the heat was taking on him. He eyed the others suspiciously, knowing immediately that the words hadn't been audible, but it hadn't been his own voice either.

Trowa was struggling to sit upright amidst his bedding. His face was drawn and the circles under his eyes made Wufei strangely sad. A heavy warmth dropped over him then, smothering the last of the heat. He fell to his hands and knees beneath it and struggled to sit up, only to realize that he was surrounded by a swarm of earth fey. The creatures were patting and hugging him consoling, and the little sprite he recognized from the previous morning kissed his cheek and rubbed her tiny face against his.

His fire gnome fought through the crowd, batting back the other fey until he reached Wufei's arm. Wufei gave him a wary look, but that terrifying gleam was gone. The gnome petted Wufei's hand where it was half buried in the soil and sighed, the expression no less poignant for all that it was silent. He apologized by hugging Wufei's arm and reaching up to pat his neck.

The last of the heat faded and the earth fey dispersed, taking the heavy feeling with them.

He looked up slowly to find Trowa smiling softly at him, looking for all the world as if Wufei was the most precious thing he'd ever seen. The weight of his adoration was almost as heavy as the fey, and he lowered his gaze, heat and temper successfully pushed back and subsumed only by embarrassment and confusion.


	8. SEVEN

SEVEN::

This time there was no gradual shutting down of his links. Heero felt himself suddenly bereft of all contact and his eyes widened. He felt instantly cold, and even the sensation of Quatre's hands on his arms faded away. As before, Zechs' talent rushed into the void, but this time more like a typhoon and less like a soothing balm. He let himself get caught in it, forced himself not to fight it, silently waited for it to calm.

~_That was ridiculously foolish, Heero Yuy!~_ Zechs snapped. ~_What would possess you to goad him like that?! Have you any concept of how dangerous that was?~_ His voice was like an earthquake; such a low rumble, but filled with depthless fury.

~_There was only a 2% chance that he would be capable of performing-~_

_ ~That is a 2% chance that you shouldn't have taken! What if he _had_ been able to? What if it had gotten out of control, or backlashed on Trowa?!~_

_ ~I felt the chance was negligible.~_ Heero defended stoically.

~_We're all curious, Heero. You _can't_ push him. At best, you could just scare him away. At worse... he could have killed us all.~ _

Heero thought about it. He'd considered the possible consequences, but had simply come to the conclusion that any negative consequences could be easily contained, and in the best case they would know how far along his training was. That he was untrained was inconceivable to Heero; even if Wufei didn't _realize_ he'd been trained, he had.

_~It is important that we understand the depth of his talent,~_ Heero pointed out reasonably. They had a long journey ahead of them and any traveling Talent was "on duty." If it came down to a fight, they needed to understand Wufei's abilities.

~_Ever the tactician.~ _Zechs' voice contained a certain tone of resignation.

~_That is why you will never beat me at chess.~_ He felt the easing of Zechs' ire and felt it appropriate to ad the harmless barb. He let a general sense of wry amusement filter through his barriers and pushed it through their link like crafted filigree.

Zechs rolled his eyes and his grip on Heero's links relaxed and finally released. Rejoining the craftmind was like homecoming and Heero didn't hide his relief.

~_Be careful with him. All of you,~_ Zechs ordered in parting.

~*~

Wufei sat against the tree and glared warily at his traveling companions. After the morning's fiasco, they had all frozen for several minutes, not speaking but looking as though they were in very intense conversation. Now they acted like nothing had happened. And something _had _happened... he just hadn't figured out what yet.

Also seeming to have developed selective amnesia, the gnome sat next to him, cheerfully lighting dry leaves on fire, and clapping while they burned. His little shoulders shook in soundless bouts of snickers.

Wufei sighed and applied himself to his task, trying to ignore the flaring pain in his side and convince his fingers to cooperate with the thick leatherworking needle. He yanked experimentally on one strap and nodded in satisfaction at the result. He would need a little longer to get it to weight baring levels, but the others didn't seem to be in much of a hurry, so he hoped he had time. His rear was still sore from the brief trip yesterday, but he couldn't really be sure that it was from the lack of a saddle and not his numerous tumbles.

He was still in much the same position when camp was finally broken, some two hours or so later. Again, the others moved in silent concert that was almost unnerving. Maybe they'd just been traveling together for so long that it was habit, but somehow he doubted it. Not even _habit_ was that well coordinated. The camp was almost completely packed away before he even noticed. When he _did_ notice, he hurried to his feet to help, suppressing a wince.

"How is your saddle?" Quatre asked, smiling in an easy, friendly way. He tossed an armful of firewood into the cart and brushed stray bits of bark from his chest and arms.

Wufei nodded to say that it was passable and ducked his head, hiding from that bright smile. Being smiled at was almost an unnerving as being touched.

"Then lets get you suited up, huh, buddy?" Duo was approaching Nataku with the bit in hand, his steps light and confident to keep the horse from spooking. Nataku gave him a look that clearly stated what he thought of that idea and tossed his head before turning and trotting over to Wufei. He flicked his tail in Duo's direction and the water Talent glared at the horse's ample rear. He stalked up to them again, tracing a wide arc around the beast.

He thrust the bit out at Wufei, who only stared at him with one eyebrow creeping up his forehead.

"Duo, only the mares of the southern breed are bit trained," Quatre explained, taking the bit away and dangling the reins in front of Duo's face in illustration. The reins were dyed purple to match Wufei's mother's set.

"What the hell for?" Duo was clearly perturbed and glared at Nataku balefully, as though it was _his_ fault. Nataku snorted and rolled his ruby eyes.

Quatre laughed at their antics. "You two are going to be fast friends, I can tell," he teased, reaching up to pet Nataku's neck. The warhorse curled into his hand and Quatre smiled. "They're not bit trained because, traditionally, they were taught to bite," Quatre continued.

"Wha...?" Duo took a healthy step away from the stallion and Nataku peeled his lips back from his teeth in a parody of a grin. "You're having me on!" Duo denied, crossing his arms over his chest. "...Isn't he, Wu?"

_Wu. Fei. Can he only grasp half of it at a time?_ Wufei thought, uncharacteristically sharp, even if only in the confines of his own head.

He felt something low in his chest that felt like... laughter. He glared suspiciously around him, but _heard_ nothing. High on Nataku's back, the gnome gave him an innocent look, seemingly oblivious.

"No," Wufei answered shortly.

"Ha! See, Fei's the expert and _he_ says you're wrong!" Duo crowed victoriously.

"I think he means that I'm not having you on," Quatre interpreted smoothly over his shoulder. He was pulling the rest of the tack out of the only chest left on the ground, the others having been loaded into the cart.

"Uh-uh. He just called you a liar," Duo argued.

On the other side of the campsite, Heero and Zechs exchanged an exasperated look and watched their mates fondly while the two bickered.

_How did they get all of that out of "no?" _Wufei wondered, reaching out automatically to help Quatre saddle Nataku.

~_...practice...~_ something whispered faintly in the back of his head. He froze, looking around again, but there was no one. The gnome was paying no attention to him as he fended off curious butterflies with a sour expression. Smoke was beginning to rise out of his hair and he almost lost his perch when he spun trying to smack one of the delicate creatures.

Wufei came to the calm conclusion that he was going insane. He'd finally snapped and lost his mind. First faeries, and now he was hearing voices to boot. His father would have had a heart attack...

~*~

The others finally mounted and Wufei discreetly used the assistance of a wheel hub to get himself into the saddle. Nataku pranced a happy circle, seemingly pleased by his new tack. Wufei had to admit that he did make a handsome sight for all that the leather still needed work. The horse tossed his head and worked his mouth around the bitless halter, straying close to Duo and Shinigami to show it off.

Duo rolled his eyes. "Personality indeed," he grumbled.

They moved out, the cart nearly screaming in protest when Heavyarms took off a little too quickly. Apparently the big beast didn't really notice the additional weight, and he was momentarily startled when it came after him. Trowa was in much better condition and probably could have ridden, but they needed the cart to carry Wufei's trunks, so he sat in the uncomfortable seat and watched his mate with a small smile.

Wufei was everything he could want in a mate. Of course, the mere fact that he _was_ Trowa's mate made him everything the earth Talent could have asked for. The man was conflicted now, but Trowa could feel the strength in him boiling beneath the surface, and he looked forward to the day when it would be brought out into the open. Since waking, he'd wanted to do nothing but wrap himself around the lithe exotic and hold him for the sheer joy of contact. He was wary of the man's reaction though and kept himself to a discreet distance.

Wufei mindspoke him only occasionally, and Trowa savored his mental voice. It was every bit like the fire he would one day control; powerful and self-assured with the tiny crackle of almost playfulness. To an enemy, that playfulness could be viciousness, but to Trowa it was the sweetest sound in the world.

He felt warm in a way he hadn't in months, like Wufei was filling up all the empty spaces inside of him and burning away old duff that was preventing new growth. It felt... pleasant, and Trowa was very unaccustomed to feeling pleasant.

~*~

"So, Fei." Duo reined Shinigami until he was even with Wufei and Nataku. Nataku glanced over them and lifted his head higher, seemingly pointing out the difference in his and Shinigami's heights. The sleek black gelding rolled his emerald eyes and ignored him.

Duo reached over to nudge Wufei's shoulder, making the other man draw in a quick breath. He let his hair drop forward to cover his wince.

"You should really braid your hair, you know," Duo suggested, though it seemed like the suggestion wasn't what he'd dropped back to say.

Wufei glared and shook his head staunchly.

"It's going to get all tangled again," Duo persisted. "Look, it already is." He reached over to pull up a tangle, but Wufei was a little quicker and smacked his hand in mid-reach. "Okay, okay, sheesh."

Wufei withdrew his hand sharply and blinked down at it with wide eyes. What had gotten into him?! He knew better than to strike people! First Heero, and now Duo? His heart thundered for a moment and he waited for punishment, but Duo seemed unconcerned with what would have been an infraction worthy of death only two days before.

"Betcha wanna know about crafts and talent and stuff, right?" Duo continued, his voice losing none of its cheer in the face of Wufei's rebuke.

"Tell him to shut it if you want, Wufei," Quatre suggested, his musical voice floating back to them. "Duo could talk the ear off a dead man."

"Ha. Ha. Kitty has claws today." Duo curled his hands into mock-claws and scratched at the air, making meowing sounds. "Mind your own business," he suggested, scowling with a sort of over-done vehemence that made it clear he wasn't serious. "Whatever. So, Fei, questions?"

Wufei glanced over at the man through a curtain of -tangled- hair. Getting some answers sounded appealing, but he didn't even know what to ask. _What the hell is going on?!_ Came to mind, but he wasn't exactly sure how to articulate that.

"Start at the beginning, Duo," came Trowa's calm voice, as if reading his mind.

Wufei twisted as much in the saddle as he was able without causing himself too much pain and peered back at the man. Trowa's voice was nice, and Wufei liked it quite a bit. He blushed a little and turned back around, grateful for the shield his hair provided. He tightened his hands on the reins and resolved not to look back again.

"Right! The beginning! See, a long time ago, there was this one guy-"

"No quite that far, Duo." Zechs was turned in his saddle, one hand planted on his white horse's rump, his back twisting impressively.

"You guys wanna tell him, or what?! Butt out!" He waved dismissively at them and Zechs turned back around with a slight smile. He and Heero rode shoulder-to-shoulder, their horses almost a match, except that Heero's Wing was all white, and Zechs' Tallgeese had a black mane and tail. The two didn't make a sound, but leaned subtly towards one another as if in conversation. Wufei was getting that whispery static noise again and shook his head a little to clear it.

"So..." Duo flipped the reins over Shinigami's neck and crossed his legs over the saddle while he thought. Shinigami altered his step automatically to compensate. "So, all people have talent, you know?"

Wufei arched an eyebrow. He didn't know, in fact.

"Everybody has an affinity to all the elements. Just most people don't have a strong enough one to be called 'talented,' really. Some people, like us, have a really strong connection to one element. Mine's water. I just... I don't know, talk to it. Ask it to do stuff for me, and it does. I can even take it right out of the air."

In illustration of his point, he held both hands up and wiggled his fingers, calling a miniature rain storm to his palms. He didn't seem to notice the three fey suddenly taking an interest in him, but gathered the water until he had a large pillow, similar to the one that he'd used to save Wufei from the tumble down the stairs.

"Watch," he whispered conspiratorially, winking at Wufei. A truly terrifying smile stretched across his face and he made a pushing motion with both hands. Wufei watched the sprites escorting the puddle towards the oblivious Quatre with a frown. He realized what the man was doing at the last minute, and opened his mouth to call out a warning, but a sudden gust of wind knocked the puddle back into Duo's chest, soaking him and Wufei both.

A lithe wind serpent was sitting smugly on Quatre's shoulder, and Duo's sprite shook a fist at it from the top of Shinigami's head. Duo was swearing loudly and Wufei glared at them all. In his lap, the fire gnome shook in soundless fury, the water turning to steam around him.

"Sorry, Wufei, I didn't mean to get you, too."

"What'd you do that for, Kitty?! I was trying to show Fei somethin!"

"Why don't you dry off and try giving him some useful information that _doesn't_ involve pranking?" Quatre suggested sweetly, turning slightly to give Wufei a smile over one shoulder.

Duo grumbled under his breath, but squeezed both hands into fists and then spread his fingers in one quick motion. The largest water fey Wufei had ever seen popped into the physical plane with a burst of light and set his hand on Wufei's chest. The naiad was about the size of a human child, but he had a serious face set with eyes that were entirely black and seemed to possess unknowable depth. He drew his hand away and a stream of water came to his palm, leaving Wufei feeling uncomfortably dry. The naiad deposited the water into a globe hanging from his belt and disappeared in a cloud of steam.

"Sorry," Duo said sheepishly, and Wufei realized that a mere heartbeat had passed. "Not the most comfortable way to get dry." He grinned, unrepentant despite his apology. "Anyways, so we're a craft." He made a gesture that encompassed the entire group.

Wufei felt his eyebrow lifting again. The man had a mind like a cat and seemed easily distracted as he bounced from point to point.

"Each craft has six talents – one of each element. You've probably figured us all out; Zechs is a spirit Talent, and the 'leader'-" he brought two fingers up on each hand and curled them twice, grinning. He enunciated the word very carefully. "And He-chan is a metal Talent. He's a zerk, too. Kitty is an air Talent – controls wind and weather and all that good stuff. Tro is earth..." He leaned over as if sharing a secret, "Guy talks to flowers." Duo nodded solemnly when Wufei frowned in puzzlement.

"I'm water-" a wink, "And _you_ are fire."

_Manipulate it. Use your talent..._ Wufei's eyes drifted over to Heero and wonder if that was what the man meant earlier. In his lap, the fire gnome took hold of the reins and flicked them hard. For all of his efforts, the motion didn't carry past Wufei's hands.

"Once you get some training," Duo continued, "you'll be able to control fire like I control water."

_You don't _control_ fire,_ Wufei thought automatically, remembering his father saying much the same thing once, long ago. _You respect it and hope it doesn't turn around and bite you for your effort._ His father's voice narrated the saying with the same clarity as he had when alive.

Duo continued to prattle on after that, but his narrative lost all of its informative use and degenerated into story telling, much of which Wufei was sure was grossly embellished. Water from stones, indeed...

They traveled at that easy pace until the sun was overhead and the Greyvine river cut across their path.

For all that the day was fairly mild, it was still late winter and the river was predictably swollen. The old bridge was flooded and the new bridge would take them about three hours to reach at their current pace. Wufei sighed.

Zechs dismounted and approached the fast-moving river. "Duo, can you clear the bridge?" he asked, turning around and beckoning the water Talent forward. Duo swung off his gelding and approached the water with confidence that few exhibited around that particular bad-tempered behemoth.

"Question isn't whether the bridge can be cleared," the water Talent announced after a second. "Question is whether the bridge'll hold once it's dry."

If anyone had asked him, Wufei would have told them that it was missing half of its planks and hadn't been used since the Morrison girls fell through it and drowned three years ago. However, no one asked him, and Wufei wasn't accustomed to speaking at all, yet alone out of turn.  
Trowa climbed out of the cart and joined the pair on the river bank. He set one hand on the bridge's post and closed his eyes.

He shook his head immediately. "It's old and tired and has seen so much death..." His eyes fluttered open and he stroked the post almost consolingly. "It won't hold," he confirmed. He drew his hand away slowly, fingertips almost caressing the weather-beaten post.

A man-sized wood nymph rose from the rapids in the approximate middle of the bridge, unaffected by the pull of the angry river. He turned and met Wufei's eye once, and though his face didn't change, Wufei got the impression of a relieved smile. The nymph raised his hands, Trowa made a gentle pushing motion, and the bridge collapsed into the water, taking the nymph with it.

"Well, I guess we go around," Zechs concluded, watching the old planks swirl away. The nymph was nowhere to be seen.

"We can raise the bed. It's stable enough."

"Are you up to that?" Zechs asked quietly, catching Trowa's eyes in an intense gaze that made Wufei feel something like a cross between anger and discomfort. He analyzed the feeling for a moment, and realized that he was... jealous? But of what? Or whom?

Trowa nodded and Duo pumped his arm in excitement. "Alright! _Finally _something to do!"

"Watch this, Wufei." Quatre pulled up even to him and Nataku greeted Sandrock with a cheerful whicker. The sandy mare shifted close enough to nudge his hindquarters and Nataku sidestepped, tossing his head. He reared a little, strangely playful.

Quatre laughed and reined Sandrock in before the pair could start playing in earnest. "This is a sight to behold," he continued, motioning to the trio on the bank.

After a moment's further discussion, Zechs detached from the group and swung himself easily into Tallgeese's saddle. The other three sat stock still on their horses, watching the river like they expected it to get up and start dancing for them.

Duo clapped his hands together and the sound rang through the trees. As if they were being held together by a great force, he slowly pulled them apart again, arms shaking. To Wufei's astonishment, the water _did_ get up. What started as a mere disturbance slowly turned into a swell, and then split into two sheer walls that slowly crept toward either bank, opening a deep gash in the water. The river was swarming with all manner of water fey, and what looked like two old men stood against either wall with their arms held out. The water kept pushing back until the twin walls were far above the level of the bank. Wufei stared at it with his mouth hanging open. Beneath him, Nataku was frozen in equine terror. Slowly, one wall bent into an arch and the river continued to flow _over_ the tunnel Duo created.

"Go," the water Talent said. His voice was somehow different. It reminded Wufei of that same river; swift and deep.

Trowa held his arms out in front of his body and turned his palms slowly upwards. He lifted his arms with the same apparent effort as Duo's trick a moment before. There was a great rumbling, the ground began to tremble, and then riverbed heaved and pushed upwards until it was level with the bank.

Heavyarms started across the land bridge without prompting, the cart trundling after him. Shinigami followed after, tail flicking as though the water dome was _his_ accomplishment. Heero and Zechs went through side by side and Quatre followed after with a smile at Wufei.

Nataku backed slowly away and Wufei didn't try to stop him. Quatre was on the other side of the river before the others realized he wasn't following. The blond turned and waved to him encouragingly. He shouted something, but Wufei couldn't hear him over the roar of the angry river or the pounding of his own heart.

"We can't hold this forever, Wufei," Duo told him in his strange voice.

Nataku backed away further.

_~It's okay,~_ that voice told him, resonating down to his bones. Wufei swallowed hard, looking over at Trowa with wide eyes. The man looked back at him with glowing green eyes that swirled and shifted through the spectrum of greens and golds. He nodded slowly and Wufei tightened one hand on the reins and the other on the fire gnome. As much as his friend was curious of water, the creature was now cowering against him, his face hidden against Wufei's shirt and body trembling faintly.

Wufei took a slow breath and kicked Nataku forward. The horse gave a distressed noise, but was trained well enough to do as he was told, and stepped reluctantly forward. Wufei swallowed hard as they passed under the canopy. The sound of Nataku's hooves was curiously muffled by the water and the air smelled cool and fresh like snow.

Nataku made it halfway through the tunnel before he decided to balk. His ears flickered back and forth and his nostrils flared, red eyes wide and rolling in distress.

_You're going to drown us both!_ Wufei screamed into the safety of his mind. He yanked off his shirt, ignoring the stabbing pain when he lifted his arms above his head, flipped it over the horse's ears and gave him a sharp kick. The frightened horse jumped straight forward and broke into an all-out gallop that jarred his unprepared rider painfully.

Wufei managed to slow the horse only after they were back on "solid ground." He forced Nataku to turn around just in time to see Trowa making the crossing, arms still held steadily in front of him.

"Let it drop," Duo commanded once Trowa was through. While Quatre had been inaudible at a shout on the other side of the river, Duo's voice carried as if _he_ was not the one speaking at all, but the river was speaking for him.

Trowa's arms dropped and the land bridge crashed down. A moment later the water tunnel collapsed as well with a sound that came frighteningly close to a roar of fury. Wufei imagined that the river was very upset at the lost victims. Duo shook his arms out and danced to get the blood flowing into his fingertips again.

Wufei worried at his bottom lip, unsure of how Duo planned to get across now that the bridge was down. To his horror, the man walked confidently to the bank and looked like he was going to try and swim it. He stepped off the bank without hesitation, his body language suggesting that he expected the water to be just as solid as the land. Wufei shouted in wordless warning, but Quatre reached across to set a calming hand on his arm.

To his further astonishment, Duo was not automatically swallowed by the raging giant, but danced lightly across the surface of the water.

"It's easier for Duo to cross alone, rather than holding up the whole river," Quatre explained.

"I am _GOD!_" Duo crowed, jumping the last step onto the bank and throwing both arms into the air.

Heero rolled his eyes. "He certainly recovers quickly." Unimpressed with the other Talent's display, Heero flicked Wing's reigns and set him back down the path.

Once they started moving again, Zechs caught up to Wufei and waited for the others to pass them. "We're going to have to train that fear of water out of your Nataku," he said conversationally.

Nataku huffed at him and pawed the ground in agitation. His shod hoof left a deep furrow in the hard ground. Wufei patted him calmingly. "He's never been around a large body of water," he defended softly.

"All the same." Zechs made a gesture with his head and Wufei reluctantly urged Nataku into step beside him. "It must be painful," the spirit Talent continued in the same conversational tone.

Wufei gave him a side-long look and said nothing.

"If you don't wish to speak," Zechs started, sounding a little sad. "That's your own business. But you will never again hide an injury from me again." His voice was suddenly steel and broached no argument. "We will be stopping shortly and you will allow Quatre to look at that."

Wufei's brow furrowed and Zechs looked pointedly to Wufei's exposed left side. The exotic glanced down and winced at the nasty purple swell. He lowered his head in shame.

"Your health is important, Wufei. You have nothing to gain by hiding something like that," Zechs said more gently.

Wufei nodded, but didn't look up.


	9. EIGHT

EIGHT::

When they rounded the bend, the rest of the craft was dismounted and lounging on the side of the road. The horses roamed, their reins draped over their necks. Zechs dismounted and flipped the stirrups up over the saddle, and Talgeese trotted off to join the others.

Wufei sighed and dragged his left leg over the pommel, but before he could dismount, Trowa caught his knee. He didn't say anything, but reached up with one hand. Wufei's brows drew into a frown. He'd been fine getting up and down for two days, why would he suddenly need help?

Trowa stepped back, giving him room, and laced his hands into a stirrup. Wufei hesitated, watching him carefully. The earth Talent's expression was unassuming and he waited calmly. Wufei got the impression that if he waved the man off, he would go without protest. Wufei lifted one hand to do exactly that, but paused.

Taking a slow breath, he planted one foot in the cradle of Trowa's laced fingers. The earth Talent helped him to the ground without so much as a grunt of effort. When Wufei laid a hand on Trowa's shoulder to steady himself, the man felt like a sun-warmed marble statue beneath his palm. The skin of his palm tingled slightly when he pulled it away.

Wufei nodded in thanks, and Trowa gave him a brief smile before turning away. Wufei shifted his weight, feeling out of place and uncertain of what was going to happen. Quatre approached him with his typical bright smile and held one hand out.

"Come on, Wufei, let's take a look at your side."

His expression seemed innocent enough, but Wufei hesitated. He let his hair drop to cover his face and chest and shuffled closer to Nataku's sheltering bulk. Sensing his distress, Nataku stamped the ground once and nudged Wufei hard enough to make him stumble backwards a step. Nataku moved between him and Quatre with a snort.

"Your rider is hurt," Quatre said, looking straight into the horse's red eyes. Even in the midst of this strange situation, Wufei found that he liked how Quatre treated Nataku like a person and not a dumb animal.

Nataku tipped his head, curled around to look back at Wufei. He stamped one hoof again and tossed head, seeming to nod.

Quatre stepped forward, assuming Nataku had given him permission to approach Wufei again. The warhorse peeled his lips back and bared his teeth. With a sound that was closer to a snarl than any sound a horse should ever make, he made his thoughts on that assumption clear. Quatre stopped, his lips pursing into a line. He planted his fists on his hips. "Your rider's ribs are broken. There is no doubt an infection forming that will eventually get into his blood stream, make him sick, and kill him. Now, step aside so I can _fix_ it."

Nataku hesitated, but Quatre pushed confidently past him and held a hand out for Wufei. "This is going to hurt, Wufei, I won't lie, but it will feel better once we're through."

"What are you going to do to me?" Wufei asked hesitantly.

"I'm just going to fix it. You'll be better by morning – no more pain when you breathe, full range of motion." He gestured with two fingers. His expression was still benign, but his posture was as clear an order as Wufei had ever seen. Still, he hesitated, trying to delay the inevitable.

"I'm a Healer, Wufei, and your Other. I would never harm you."

Nataku snorted and swung his hindquarters around, knocking Wufei into Quatre's chest. Quatre caught him automatically and Wufei gasped and pressed his face into Quatre's chest to stifle the sound.

"Gentle, Nataku," Quatre admonished as he curled a protective arm around Wufei's shoulders and lead him to the cart. Heero and Duo were stretching a blanket between the cart and a stand of trees, creating a makeshift shelter. Wufei turned his face away from Quatre's chest to eye the space. Trowa was crouched beneath the blanket with both hands buried in the earth to the wrist. His nymph knelt between his arms and she dove into the ground when he blew across the soil.

The hardened earth rippled and then puffed out as if under the influence of a small explosion. Trowa withdrew his fists, his little nymph hanging onto the index finger of his left hand. She flipped herself onto his palm and ran up his forearm to perch on his shoulder.

Zechs patted Trowa on the shoulder with a fond look on his face. "It's good to see you Working again," he said. Trowa didn't look at him, but straight at Wufei. His gaze made Wufei turn his face back into Quatre's chest.

Duo tossed a blanket over the softened soil and Quatre lead him to it. "Unbound Healings are painful... I'm sorry for that, but Binding you now with an injury like this could be deadly. To both you and Zechs."

Wufei didn't understand a word of what he was talking about, but the gnome wasn't agitated beyond simple concern, so Wufei forcefully suppressed his own doubts and let Quatre lower him to the blanket. He winced in anticipation of pain, but the ground was soft as down.

Quatre knelt next to him. On his other side, the fire gnome patted his shoulder and pet the side of his face. The others were moving around them, gathering things without being asked. Quatre ignored them, but Wufei tried to follow their progress. Duo gathered a bowl of water and Heero sat near Wufei's feet tearing up cloths.

"I'm going to touch you, Wufei," Quatre warned. His gentle fingers walked slowly down Wufei's chest from his collarbone. Wufei squirmed beneath his touch. "I'm sorry," Quatre apologized. His other hand drifted up Wufei's injured side. His fingertips were like ice and rather than bringing pain, they numbed whatever they touched.

Quatre withdrew his fingers and sat back. He sighed. "It's a splintered break on the fourth and a severe fracture on the fifth. Hairline fractures on the seventh and eighth." His cool hand draped slowly over Wufei's eyes. Despite seeing it coming, Wufei still flinched away from him. "I want to save you from as much of this as I can, Wufei." His fingers pressed into Wufei's temples. "Sleep."

Cold darkness rushed up around him and he felt himself drift away.

~*~

"The break is pretty bad," Quatre related once he was sure that Wufei was unconscious. "It would be painful even if we were Bonded. With only the thin link through Trowa, it's going to be agonizing." He crossed his legs and studied the large red and purple swell. "I don't know what would be kinder – going through with this, knowing the pain he'll be in... or letting him heal the 'old fashioned way' and making him go through months of lesser pain, and risk the possibility of him getting ill." He looked up at Zechs. "Either way, we're not completing the bond until he's better, so...your call."

Zechs' frowned deeply, reaching out to touch Wufei's forehead. "You're the Healer," he said finally. "This one is your call."

_~If we get attacked...~_ Heero added in quietly. His mental voice was soft and intimate, extending only to the direct link he and Quatre shared.

_~We're about as far away from the front as we can get, my love. The chance of that is fairly slim.~_

_ ~19.18%~_ Heero answered precisely.

_~Why so high?~_

_ ~We are the Empire's sole ShadowWarcraft. Once we're complete, we will be a fighting force worth a dozen of either craft alone.~_

_ ~I know. That's why we've been given free-reign to find Wufei, rather than being forced to take a surrogate and drafted.~_

_ ~There are doubtlessly many who would rather we didn't complete the Bond.~_

_ ~...That's why you tested him this morning?~_

Heero nodded discreetly and Quatre sighed.

_~If someone wanted to take us out... why not do it before we found Wufei?~_ Quatre argued. _~Or...~_ He swallowed hard, a fine shudder dancing down his spine at the thought. ~_Why not kill him before we could find him?~_

_ ~It took _us_ four years to find him, and that with Trowa's heart strings jerking him around like a marionette.~ _Heero pointed out.

_ ~You think someone could have been waiting for us to find him?~_

_ ~I have considered the possibility.~ _

_ ~Is 19.18% enough of a chance to make this imperative?~_

_ ~Your call.~_ Heero withdrew from their private link, leaving Quatre to sift through the possible scenarios on his own. He could either let Wufei heal on his own over the course of several months, or he could condense several months healing into several seconds. It was not a very gentle introduction to craft Working, but if Heero's worst case scenario came about...

He looked down at Wufei's side. With his Healer's eyes, he could see the pain rising off of it like steam. _It must hurt..._His lips compressed into a thin line. _And it's going to hurt a lot more._

"Trowa, I need you to hold him. Keep him calm... if you can."

Trowa nodded without question and set his hands on Wufei's shoulders. Wufei didn't so much as stir and Quatre took a slow breath.

_ ~And I need _you_ to hold_ me_.~ _He told his lover.In a full healing trance, he would be connected to his body by only the thinest of threads. In fact, his connection to Heero would be far greater than his connection to his own body.

_~Always,~_ Heero answered with his normal stoicism. Despite the fact that his expression never changed, Quatre was almost overwhelmed by the molten pulse of his love. He sucked in a slow breath and waited for the searing sensation to pass before returning the sentiment.

Quatre let his eyes close and dropped into a light trance. He opened his Not-eyes and waited for the colors to stop spinning. The world was a strange globe to his Not-eyes; he could simultaneously see in all directions and the sensory input was nauseating. In this view, his family- his craft- were made up of wavering colors and sensations. He carefully identified each as a way to orient himself. Zechs was a misty opalescent shape to his back. Behind the spirit Talent was a large shape of the same color, like a shadow, though Quatre always got the impression of wings.

Connected to Zechs' misty form by a thick glowing cord, was Duo's dark blue glow. The water Talent was a swirling mass of dark blue and darker blue. An occasional globe of light blue separated from his aura and slid back in like a fish through water. As he concentrated, their auras steadied and Quatre dove deeper into his trance. He followed the glowing line that extended from Zechs back to himself, and from there to the white-orange glow of his lover. He felt immediately more stable once Heero turned to a solid mass and he slid deeper still. The world shrank tighter and his Craft glowed brighter.

Another cord cut across his vision and he followed it to Trowa. The earth Talent was once again as unshakable as a mountain. His reappearance as an anchor was refreshing and heartening. Over the years since hearing the call from their missing sixth, Trowa's core had become unstable. On the few occasions that a need for a healing trance had come up, Quatre had been forced to use Heero as an anchor. But now that the earth Talent's core was stable again, Quatre happily 'threw' himself down the line that lead back to Zechs and from there straight to Trowa. The man's aura rippled and then opened to accept him.

Trance almost complete, Quatre felt his own body slip away. He was so deep into Trowa's core that the earth Talent's bond to Wufei should be strong enough to make him visible. Once the world steadied again, Quatre turned until he found Wufei. He'd expected the fire Talent to be visible, but the wildfire he found when he twisted in Trowa's bond almost knocked him out of the trance altogether. Once his Not-eyes adjusted, he dove into the bright red glow of their fire Talent.

He found himself standing inside the other man's ribcage, Wufei's heart beating furiously behind him, lungs filling and emptying rapidly, blood pulsing through transparent veins and arteries. It took a moment for him to orientate himself again, but once he got his bearings, he turned to find the broken bones.

Quatre took a split second to consider the best course of action before he was wrapping his Not-hands around the splintered break and pulling it forcefully back together. Behind him, Wufei's heart stuttered and skipped a beat. Quatre could almost imagine the organ blinking at him in shock before grasping what he was doing and kick-starting furiously. Beneath his Not-feet, Wufei's lungs filled to capacity and emptied quickly enough to suggest that he was screaming.

Concentrating hard, Quatre fought to hold onto the jerking rib in an effort to save Wufei the agony of having to grab it again. He tied himself in tighter to Wufei's body and Saw his nervous system flare to life in front of his healer's eyes. He watched the nerves carefully as they flared and twisted, sending messages up the line so quickly that Wufei wouldn't possibly be able to process them. Tightening his grip, Quatre forced the bone to knit back together and Saw the moment he shattered Wufei's pain threshold. Overloaded, the nerve endings shut down in an effort to protect Wufei's mind.

Wufei's heartbeat calmed almost immediately and his lungs expanded in shallow gasps. Blue light flashed around Quatre's Not-hands like ribbons and sped the healing until the bone was completely smooth, not even a calcium deposit to betray the break. Releasing the healed rib, Quatre slid down quickly to close the fractures. Each of these required barely a touch to close and then Quatre was pulling away. He chased away the first signs of infection and ran an apologetic caress over Wufei's nerve-ends to make them responsive again. Weak pulses of electric-blue light slid sluggishly up the lines. It would probably take a while for Wufei to regain full sensitivity over his side, but Quatre was satisfied that the nerves would recover.

Retracing his steps, he backed out of Wufei's pulsing aura. A flare of red and black detached from the general pulse of the fire Talent's aura. The flare seemed to act independently from the body of the aura, much like Duo's aura-fish. It rushed him, pushing him down the thin bond that connected Wufei's injured aura to the shelter of Trowa's recovering core. Quatre wondered faintly if it was an automatic defense, but didn't try to fight it.

Trowa caught him halfway and gently pushed him back towards Zechs. Coming out of a trance was always the worst; drained and disoriented, the sensation of passing through so many auras was a little nauseating. When he finally resettled into his own body, it felt a little foreign.

He opened his eyes slowly. For a moment, his Others' auras hung over them like double-images, but they faded quickly.

"It's done," he announced, not trying to hid his exhaustion. "Good as new by tomorrow morning." He slumped into Heero's arms and the metal Talent scooped him up easily and carried him to a waiting bedroll.

~*~

Left alone, Trowa took shameless advantage of Wufei's unconsciousness. Between his own illness and Wufei's fragile emotional state, Trowa hadn't been able to really look at his mate before this. He gently brushed Wufei's long hair away from his face and traced the lines of his jaw. Unable to hide under that impressive curtain, Wufei's age became a little more apparent. He had wide cheekbones, a surprisingly sharp jaw and a nose that curved downward just slightly. Trowa brushed a finger down it and smiled, deciding that it was a very fitting nose. Short, stubborn, and somehow adorable.

_I never could have imagined such a creature as you existed..._ Even after almost five years with his craft, the concept of affection was a little foreign to him. He had been raised to be a machine, not human, not a man. But he felt very real emotions stirring in him, things that he'd felt second-hand from his craft but had never personally experienced. He felt warmth, joy... desire.

The last was the most puzzling and he worried at it like a split lip. He'd participated in sexual acts, had even physically enjoyed them, but he'd never felt... this. It was a strange ache deep in his chest, a fuzzy tingling sensation low in his gut. He was not aroused by it, but the potential for arousal existed, and the differentiation confused him.

Shifting, Trowa gently slid Wufei's head out of his lap and stretched out next to him. Instead of pulling away, Wufei unexpectedly rolled into his chest. Trowa wrapped his arms around the smaller man and closed his eyes, enjoying the closeness and the ease of it. He could stay like this until the earth opened and swallowed him, and he thought he could be happy for every moment of it.

_How strange, to feel this sort of contentment..._

Wufei's breath ghosted across his neck, warm and feather soft. Trowa enjoyed the sensation and considered the way his life had turned. He'd had nothing when Zechs saved him. Beyond mere physical possessions, he had no name, no sense of self or purpose. He had no hope; didn't even understand the concept of hope. Zechs was an amazing man. As much as he was every bit the King's general, he had a capacity for love that far exceeded Trowa's ability to comprehend it. Touching Zechs' mind, his soul, his talent, was like staring into the sun, and even after so many years, Trowa was unable to withstand it for long.

Feeling Wufei's distant fire, Trowa thought that maybe he was beginning to understand how anyone could experience such an all-consuming feeling for another.

He tightened his arms around his lithe mate and Wufei cuddled closer to him, making a soft mewling noise as he tucked his head against Trowa's neck.

~*~

_~They are all strong mindspeekers, I'm sure~_ he announced, opening his eyes. ~_But the spirit is yet a stronger shield.~_

_ ~You were a fool to make us wait! Now the sixth is healed- they will complete the Bond soon, and then what?!~_

_ ~Consider how on edge we were when we found our sixth. Do you think that after four years of searching, they would have let him go without a fight?~_

_ ~So you let them become more comfortable, let them integrate him into their craftmind? This is foolishness and nothing but!~_

_ ~Patience, patience.~_

~*~

Wufei woke to a sense of unease. He felt groggy and weak and his throat was parched, but he was nonetheless physically comfortable. His face was pressed into something warm that smelled pleasantly of musk and earth. Ignoring the unease pulling at him, he burrowed further into that warmth without even stopping to consider what it was.

Only after the warmth burrowed back did he pry his eyes open. He vaguely remembered that it had been day time when they crossed the river, and then Quatre laid him down and said he was going to help him. He got the impression that there was pain, but the memory of the pain was distant and foggy, like something he'd witnessed instead of experienced. After that there was darkness.

He shifted slightly and felt something tickle his neck and cheek. Once he reached up to push it away, he realized that it was hair. Hair that wasn't his.

Swallowing hard, he eased back further yet, peering at his sleeping companion through the darkness. Faintly, he wondered why he was just jumping up and moving away, but it made more sense not to wake the other, didn't it? The man rolled onto his back away from Wufei and moonlight fell across his face. Wufei recognized Trowa immediately and felt himself relax. He didn't know why it was okay that Trowa had been wrapped around him like a living blanket, but he wasn't as bothered by it as he thought he should have been, maybe even would have been just a few days before.

Something felt different. He felt more at peace, more at ease with the strange situation. At odds with the feeling of peace, a shiver ran up his back, strong enough to make him arch away from it. His fingertips went numb and blood drained out of his face in response to some odd presence behind him.

Almost against his will, he turned over to face this unnamed menace. The fire gnome was crouched down, looking some deformed feline and his eyes glowed with bright malice. The expression frightened Wufei, but what frightened him more was that the gnome was not looking at him, or at any of Wufei's traveling companions, but was staring off into the woods. He followed the creature's line of sight, his heart pounding in his chest, not sure of what he expected. Direwolves were rumored to stalk these forests, though no one had seen one for generations and Wufei didn't think that any creature would attack such a large group of humans...

At first, he saw nothing. The gnome did not relax and the _not seeing_ seemed to make Wufei more anxious. Blood was pounding through his limbs, making them tremble. Strange panic was building inside of him, and the terror made him want to get up and run fast and hard as far away from this place and these people and the strange unknown monsters they drew as he could get before he collapsed.

Unable to tear his eyes away from the forest, they remained helplessly trained on the unmoving shadows. For this reason alone did Wufei notice that the shadows weren't unmoving at all. One slender shape detached itself from the masses and crept slowly forward. If it was a man, he was slouched oddly with his hands dragging below his knees. If it wasn't... Wufei shuddered to thing what kind of creature would have that shape.

His mouth worked without sound, his parched throat produced nothing but the faintest of whistles, and his legs which had so ached to run moments before were now frozen. The shadow came closer, drifted unerringly towards the group. Towards _him_.

Deep inside his chest, he felt the first little flicker of rage take hold. He was terrified, yes. But he was furious that this thing was terrifying him. He caught onto the life-saving emotion with both hands and let it grow until it burned the terror away and left him feeling scorched and raw. The gnome leapt, Wufei's throat loosened and he shouted just as a plume of brilliant red-orange flame arced from the banked fire and whipped toward the intruder.

The others were instantly awake and alert. Despite his former gracelessness, Duo was first on his feet, twin blades appearing in his hands seemingly from thin air. Wind blew through the camp in a steady gust and the fire flared, driving away the shadows and turning the darkened clearing to blinding yellow day. Trowa's weight was warm and possessive as it settled over him and Zechs and Heero resembled large cats, ready to pounce on anything that moved.

After several seconds of silent stillness, Trowa asked, "What happened?"

"Something was approaching the camp," Wufei answered. His own voice startled him a little; it was louder than he'd intended and stronger, harsher, deeper than it had been.

The horses came thundering into the camp a moment later and the ground roared as it arched up into a 3-sided barrier. Trowa pulled him insistently into it, and the others disappeared into the forest like ghosts on the prowl as the fourth side came up.

~*~

_~Now who's the fool?!_~ the air asked, mental voice filled with viciousness.

~_Stuff it!~ _the water snarled. She held one hand against her scorched face as they ran, silent above the underbrush, the air's talent keeping them off the noisy leaves. ~_We left no trace, they'll never know.~_

~_Silence!~_ the spirit snarled from a distance, and they were silent.

Behind them, pursuit was felt not heard and they hastened their escape. Before them, safety loomed in a curious form. A dense thicket, filled with brambles and thorns peeled back and the earth split with a muted rumble. The pair dove into the safety of the deep chasm and the thicket snapped shut behind them.

Inside, the earth said nothing, but his eyes glowed bright green with recrimination. The water turned away from him and dragged moisture from the soil to soothe her cheek.

Outside, pursuit passed, unwise to their hiding place.

~*~

"You can come out," Duo called. The earth barrier fell and Wufei scrambled out of it. Generally speaking he liked small enclosed spaces, but Trowa's anxiety filled the little area to suffocation.

"What was it that you saw, Wufei?" Zechs asked.

Wufei glanced around with narrowed eyes, immediately suspecting their suspicion. He was just a slave after all, and if they didn't find anything, it was easy to blame the slave-

Except he wasn't a slave. He was a free man.

Wufei squared his shoulders almost defiantly and glared up at Zechs, as if daring the spirit Talent to accuse him of lying. He stood with as much dignity as he could muster, remembering the way his father stood tall with his chin raised, and that it had terrified Wufei once.

"Man-shaped, but hunched over. I didn't get a good look at him -or it- before it fled."

Zechs sighed. "Whoever - or whatever - it was is gone now, and left no traces."

_~He could have been having a nightmare,~_ Duo suggested. He'd had enough of them to know the way shadows could play tricks in the half-gloom of waking.

~_I do not think so,~ _Heero interjected. He had a tiny strip of scorched black cloth between his fingers and a grim expression on his face.

~_Where did that flame come from?~_ Quatre wondered.

~_The attacker?~ _Duo suggested.

~_We've already seen him Heal... it is not inconceivable that the flame came from Wufei?~_

_ ~Both are possible,~ _Zechs conceded.

~_Why don't you just ask him?~_ Trowa interrupted, his normally calm voice tinted with a strange hint of annoyance.

Zechs returned his gaze to Wufei, who continue to glare at him in burgeoning stubbornness.

"Did you spark that flame, Wufei?" the spirit Talent asked gently. His eyes were so intense they seemed to glow in the semi-darkness.

Whatever Wufei had been expecting that was apparently not it. Shock knocked the glare off of his face and he blinked. "No."

Zechs watched him carefully, and then nodded and rand a hand through his tangled blond hair. "Since we're all up, we might as well get an early start on the day."


	10. NINE

NINE:

Two weeks of uneventful travel brought them to the walls of a modest border hold. The craft didn't seem impressed by the city's walls, but Wufei had no memory of any place other than Northhaven Village and was nearly overwhelmed just passing under the wide arch.

He let Nataku navigate them through the crush of people and twisted in his saddle, taking in the sights. In Northhaven Village there were only three two story buildings: the inn, the long house where the council met and where people could come for shelter during hard storms or the unlikely event of an attack, and the mayor's home.

Tregres was rife with two, three, even _four_ story buildings. Wufei craned his neck to see to the top of them, eyes dancing over brightly colored awnings and flitting from window to window. The city even smelled strange- the roads were filled with the scents of cooking meats, strange spices and the press of bodies. There were other smells that were far less pleasant, and altogether they created something that was certainly... unique.

The fire gnome clambered to his shoulder to get a better view of the place, occasionally tugging on Wufei's ear to get his attention and point out some interesting thing or other. Wufei would have been happy to just sit somewhere and watch all of this busy activity happen – he didn't think he'd ever seen so many people move so collectively fast! He wanted to stop and look over the stalls at the goods the merchants were hawking, but had to make do with leaning over the saddle to see under the striped and patched awnings. Some stalls had little trinkets, others cloth, and some foodstuffs – there were even fruit stalls in the middle of winter!

Peering at one interesting stall selling little trinkets and weapons, Wufei nearly lost his seat and was saved only by virtue of Heero's hand fisted in the back of his shirt. He didn't even acknowledge the near spill, but twisted to follow the progress of a group of brightly dressed women. They had their faces covered in veils and the visible parts of their arms were decorated with strange twisting tattoos.

"Careful Wufei," Quatre cautioned with a suppressed smile. "Southern merchants don't take kindly to having their women eyed."

Wufei blushed despite himself and turned resolutely in the saddle to face front.

Zechs pushed ahead of the group and easily lead them through the twisting maze of streets. The crowd seemed unconcerned by the horses and pressed close to them with little care. With the exception of Nataku, who had never been around so many people before, the horses seemed equally unconcerned with them and gently pushed through the clog of bodies or stopped when they needed to.

They finally arrived at an inn and Nataku pranced into the empty courtyard, muscles twitching irritably. He shook his head like he wanted to throw the experience off altogether. Wufei patted him consolingly and Nataku snorted, curving his long neck into the caress.

The rest of the craft was already dismounting and stripping their tack before Zechs even returned from his haggling with the innkeeper. Wufei pursed his lips and glared at them in a sort of envious irritation. It was almost annoying how well they anticipated each other. It was moments like this that he felt the most like an outsider looking in on something he shouldn't see. He turned away from them and slid out of the now well-worn saddle. Nataku held obediently still while Wufei worked the buckles out and checked over the patched leather.

"We'll stay here for a few days," Zechs announced. It was almost an afterthought and Wufei got the impression – as he often did- that Zechs was speaking for his benefit alone, that everyone else already knew somehow. He clenched his teeth against the surge of irritation, and marveled again at how only two weeks of being "free" had loosened his grip on his emotions. It was disconcerting to him in a way that he couldn't define.

_Manipulate it_. He closed his eyes and remembered the warmth spreading through his bones, remembered the anger, the hate, the lust-

"Wufei?"

Wufei started, and the remembered sensation fled. He looked up sideways at Zechs. He said nothing, but he still wasn't accustomed to speaking and they seemed to understand that.

Zechs reached over Wufei's shoulder to finger one of the replaced straps on Wufei's saddle. "Would you like to have this repaired? Tregres is not large, but surely large enough to boast a leatherworker."

Wufei stiffened and looked critically over the leather. It wasn't pretty, but he felt that personally he'd done an admirable job of repairing the saddle!

As if he'd read his mind, Zechs continued, "You've done an excellent job with it, but I thought you might like to have it restored to its original color at least."

Privately, Wufei thought it was unlikely that any leatherworker would be able to that. At least no leatherworker _here_. Lurikan leatherworkers were the best in the world, with their secret techniques. At least, that's what his father had always taught him. He finally shrugged, and Zechs seemed to take it as assent.

"Why don't you and Quatre go explore the holding a little?" the spirit Talent suggested.

To that, at least, Wufei could easily agree. He hurriedly pulled the saddle off and set it at his feet, retrieved a curry comb from a saddle bag and started brushing the giant down. He was so intent on completing the task that he didn't notice Trowa behind him until the taller man's hand covered his own. Trowa's calloused hand was strong and warm. Wufei found himself almost entranced by it and starred intently at those long fingers. His fingers were almost delicate and it was a pointed contradiction to the rest of him.

"I can finish this for you," Trowa told him softly.

The man's voice had a strange quality to it, almost like he was singing even while speaking. It _felt_ rich and like it should be deeper than his pleasant baritone. Wufei shivered slightly and yanked his hand out from under the earth Talent's. Behind him, Trowa's entire body stiffened in a sort of wince and Wufei wondered if he'd accidentally hurt him. He peered at his own hands – small, rough, scarred hands with nails filed short. They didn't seem like hands that could hurt anyone. They were weak hands, slave's hands.

He clenched them into fists and held them stiffly to his sides.

"Nataku is mine," he whispered finally. "I have always cared for him."

"I don't mind," Trowa reassured him softly. The muscles of his forearm rippled beneath his skin as he pulled the comb down Nataku's flank. The horse leaned into him in unmistakable pleasure and Wufei glared at the warsteed. Since Nataku seemed to have no complaints about being groomed by the much taller and much stronger earth Talent, Wufei couldn't find a valid excuse to take exception. He nodded stiffly and eased out of the small space he'd been trapped in by the horse's bulk and Trowa's hard body.

The earth Talent's neck was curved and his eyes were fixed on Nataku's shinning black coat. Trowa's back was straight, his shoulders stiff and Wufei felt an irrational desire to apologize. Quatre broke the tension of the moment by grabbing his arm and pulling him back a few paces.

"Come on!" the exuberant Talent urged. "It's going to get dark soon!"

"...It's morning," Wufei argued, his brows furrowed.

"Which only gives us another six or seven good hours of daylight!"

Wufei felt his eyes widen in a sort of horror and suddenly wondered if he really wanted to go out "exploring" with the spritely blond. On Quatre's shoulder, the wind serpent seemed equally excited and the fire gnome rose to his tippy toes and reached up to grab Wufei's hand.

_It would appear that I am out-numbered_, Wufei thought peevishly. He sighed and made a show of kneeling down to adjust the ties on his boot while the gnome jumped excitedly to his shoulder.

"Ready?" Quatre asked, eyes glittering.

Wufei nodded stoically and wondered what he was getting himself into.

As it turned out, 'exploration' included a purse, and Wufei stared in wide-eyed terror at the whirlwind that was Quatre Rubarba Winner. The air Talent flitted from stall-to-stall, cataloging what each vendor was selling and occasionally stopping to haggle. This he did unnervingly well and Wufei felt that Quatre's strangely adept shrewdness was at odds with his normally cheerful disposition. Wufei was quickly loaded down with a large canvas backpack and his arms were draped with all manner of bags. Most were supplies – fresh and dried foodstuffs that they would definitely need for the long trek through the mountains.

"Normally we would have to hunt along the Stretch," Quatre told him when they stopped for a break in a shaded sitting area. He was going through their bags and mumbling to himself as he checked off items on a mental list. "But we have the cart, so we'll be able to take a lot more supplies. We can probably make it to Nor without a problem, though we'll be on dried stuff for the last run..."

A brightly clad serving girl approached them and Quatre beamed at her. She had caramel-colored skin, and inky black hair that curled tightly as it fell down her back. Her eyes were a deep chocolate and her skin was decorated with blue tattoos in a swirling flower pattern. Wufei was surprised to note that even her face was adorned with the blue ink.

"Can I bring you something?" she asked in an unfamiliar accent.

Wufei found himself entranced by her strange coloring and he watched her intently as she talked with Quatre.

"And what about for your friend?" she asked after a minute. Her hips tipped slightly and her full lips curled upwards into a strange smile that made Wufei nervous for some reason. "What would you like, hm?" She took a step closer to him and leaned down to hear him better. Her sudden proximity made Wufei back up quickly. She smelled of spice and cooking smoke and her blouse had come open to show the swells of her breasts. At that angle, he could clearly see the dark areola surrounding her nipples. His face flushed bright red and he ducked his head so his hair fell forward to shield him from the sight.

Wufei thought that it would be kind of him to let her know that the ties had slipped out, but he didn't know how to say it without embarrassing her – or himself. He floundered, uncomfortably aware of how hot his cheeks felt.

"Anything at all?" she pressed, her voice a smoky whisper.

"How about some fruit juice?" Quatre suggested, getting her attention again. He looked at Wufei questioningly and the exotic nodded quickly. Quatre smiled and looked back up at the serving girl. She straightened to pay attention to the blond once more. "Maybe something light to eat as well...I see that you're serving flat bread; we'll take some of that. Do you have hummus?"

"Yes," she affirmed, voice pouting a little "I will be right out with that." She looked back to Wufei. "Let me know if you need anything, hm?"

"Thank you, miss," Quatre responded politely.

Wufei stared at his lap until he was sure that she was gone. "Should we tell her that her blouse is undone?" he asked after a minute, cheeks still burning.

Quatre laughed softly. "I'm pretty sure she knows."

"Oh," was all he could think of.

Quatre kept up a pleasant stream of chatter while they waited for their order. The air Talent had an amazing way with words. The conversation sounded and felt completely natural and comfortable, even though Wufei didn't respond – Quatre didn't seem to expect or need him to. It kept the atmosphere from getting awkward and gave Wufei time to gather himself back up. He wondered why the serving girl made him so uncomfortable, but didn't ponder it too much.

When their order arrived, Wufei staunchly did not look up and Quatre sent the serving girl away with a bright, "Thank you, miss."

The dark golden fruit juice came in two tall slender glasses and a shallow dish with yellow paste sat between them. "The juice is best chilled," Quatre announced. He held one hand over Wufei's glass. The air around it shimmered briefly and the temperature around the table plummeted. Wufei shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. Tregres was at the bottom of a steep valley and the air was quite a lot warmer than the frigid mountainous region where the founders of Northhaven Village had decided to carve out a home. Wufei was enjoying the warmth and found himself a little annoying at the sudden chill.

His annoyance abated gradually once the cold air dissipated. He curled into the stripe of sunlight filtering through a tear in the awning and let it warm his back and neck.

"Try it," Quatre urged, picking up his own glass and taking a judicious sip. "Amazing that lurikoa can grow this far north." He looked at the glass with a satisfied smile.

Wufei took a cautious sip from the tall glass. The juice was cool and a pleasant combination of sweet and tart. He'd never tasted anything like it; it was amazing! He took another sip and let it sit on his tongue, enjoying the smooth, almost creamy flavor.

"Try the hummus," Quatre invited. He tore off a piece of the funny flat bread next to it and swirled it through the yellow paste.

Wufei was a little less sure of this one and eyed Quatre suspiciously while the man popped the bread into his mouth. Quatre considered the taste for a minute and finally nodded.

"Not bad." He took another piece of bread and let Wufei consider the odd paste while he munched on it happily.

Wufei finally picked up a piece of the bread and sniffed it once before dipping it into the bowl. He took a careful taste and found that it was... pleasant. He took another piece of bread and scooped up more. This time he held it casually close to the table so the gnome could grab some of it. He chewed it slowly while his friend examined and smelled the little bit on his fingertip. The gnome finally shrugged and popped his whole finger into his mouth. He pulled it back out just as quickly and made a face. He glared up at Wufei in accusation and wiped his hand vigorously on his patched pants.

Wufei smiled at his antics and took another drink of his juice.

"Do you like it?" Quatre asked.

Wufei was a little startled by his voice; he'd almost forgotten Quatre was there. "Yes," he answered with a nod. His hair fell over his face and he didn't bother to push it back.

"You should really tie your hair back," Quatre suggested after a brief silence. "You have such a nice smile and we never get to see it."

His comment was greeted with undefined agitation. Wufei finally just shrugged, but didn't move his hair away from his face.

Quatre paid for their snack and left the serving girl a tip. He picked up some of the bags Wufei had been carrying previously and they moved out of the shade of the awning at a more sedate pace.

"I am going to enjoy that bed tonight!" Quatre announced, stretching.

Wufei didn't mind sleeping on the ground. It was usually more comfortable than the cracked stone hearth in the kitchen. And with the fire smoldering in front of him and Trowa pressed against his back, he was definitely warmer. After the first couple nights, he'd given up trying to stay away from the earth Talent, and decided that Trowa was probably being drawn to his warmth in the night. He would probably never admit it, but it was nice to wake up that way once he'd gotten used to it. With that in mind, he was actually a little disappointed to be sleeping by himself, even if he did get the luxury of a bed.

"But first!" Quatre turned resolutely to one of the shops lining the street. "You need clothes!" He announced when he was half way through the door.

Wufei froze in the middle of the street and the man walking behind him ran into him with a muffled curse. Wufei stumbled forward and the fire gnome raised his fists and screamed silently at the man, who merely glared and continued on his errands. Being ignored irritated the fire gnome more than almost anything, even though he knew that no one else could see him. His ears and beard smoked as his temper heated up.

"Come on," Quatre urged from the doorway.

Wufei shifted his weight from one foot to the other and considered refusing. Could he find his way back to the inn by himself? He turned and looked around, hoping to see a familiar land mark that would lead him back to the relative safety of the inn.

Unfortunately, all the buildings looked exactly the same to him. Did he recognize that green door...? He peered at it carefully and thought about how many green doors there could be in one town...

Quatre beckoned to him again, and he reluctantly followed the blond inside.

The interior of the shop was dark and cool. Light streamed down from slivers cut high in the wall and provided occasional splashes of color. The store front was very small – most of the building was probably a work room and only a few shelves and tables were out on display.

The merchant – and old man with leathery skin and big hands- looked up from the front desk and greeted them with a smile.

"Common?" Quatre asked.

"Yes, yes!" The man nodded emphatically. Despite his assurances that he spoke the language, it became quickly apparent that he didn't understand a word Quatre was saying. From the wide selection of things Quatre was listing off, Wufei was perfectly happy that the merchant _didn't_ understand.

When Quatre resorted to thumbing through piles of clothing, Wufei sighed and stepped up to the man. He cleared his throat to get the merchant's attention and translated Quatre's initial questions into Eustacian. Quatre gave him a startled look, but didn't say anything. Instead, he returned to the counter and started firing off his original line of requests – shirts, pants, vests and undergarments in black, white and red. Wufei gave the man an unhappy look as he dutifully translated all of this and the merchant happily disappeared into his work room.

"/Here we are!/" the tailor announced, reappearing with a stack of clothing in his arms. "/I made these for a merchant's son and he never came back to collect them. They should fit!/"

Quatre waited for Wufei to translate, and once he had, merrily began sorting through the clothing, humming as he went.

"/Not many around here want colors like this for young kids,/" the tailor explained. "/You're lucky – I was just about to cut them up and see what else I could do with them!/"

_Not so lucky_, Wufei thought moodily, equally irritated that he likely fit into a child's clothing.

"/You speak very well, you know. I wouldn't have thought,/" the tailor said conversationally.

Wufei decided not to answer him and the man shrugged, not seeming offended.

"These are great!" Quatre said, beaming as he held up a bright red shirt with black lacing at the collar. "What about leggings?"

Wufei stamped one foot. "No," he said shortly. He didn't get the impression that he had a lot of choice in the clothing, but he had to draw the line somewhere.

"Socks?" Quatre amended.

Wufei nodded stiffly and translated to the curious merchant. The tailor snapped his fingers and made his way around the front counter again. Quatre continued going through the pile, occasionally holding things up against Wufei's body to check the size.

"They will probably be a little bit long in the leg, and a little small on top, but they should do nicely. I was worried we were going to have to order something. You're my lucky charm, Wufei!"

The tailor backed out of the workroom with a basket between his corded arms. He explained that his wife and daughters had knitted the woolen stockings, which Wufei dutifully translated, and Quatre praised with easy grace.

Quatre picked out three pairs of pants, five shirts, two vests and a heavy cloak, and patted the stack with an unduly pleased look on his face. He thrust a neatly folded stack of clothing into Wufei's arms and resolutely pushed him to the small curtained-off corner to change, despite the exotic's protests.

Quatre stood at the counter with the tailor and tried to remember his Eustacian lessons. He managed a few stilted phrases. The merchant was polite and listened to him very carefully. He answered back in his best Common and they managed to exchange a few pleasantries.

~_Our little fire keeps catching me off guard,~_ he conveyed to the craft. ~_For all that the man hardly ever speaks, he speaks flawless Eustacian.~_

_ ~Northhaven is a common stop-over for merchants. I'm sure every one of them who came through town stopped at the inn. He probably at least understands several languages.~_ Zechs reasoned.

~_Seems a little unlikely that any merchant would have stayed long enough to teach him the whole language,~ _Quatre argued.

~_Northhaven Village _is_ in former Eustacia,~_ Heero pointed out, ever logical.

_~It's also a colony of the Empire, isn't it? I didn't hear anyone speaking Eustacian, did you? Oh! He's coming out! Do you want to see?~_ Quatre asked mischievously. Heero gave him the mental equivalent of an eye roll and a turned-back, but Quatre could feel the curiosity leaking through his links and stiffed a giggle. He closed his eyes when he felt Zechs gently tapping into them. Getting sight-jacked wasn't a comfortable feeling, but he was growing used to it, at least from Zechs. He waited until the vertigo passed and then opened his eyes.

The room swam a little and colors were brighter than normal thanks to Zechs' influence. Thankfully, the room was already dark so the brightness wasn't overpowering like it might have been outside. Wufei was still hesitating with his hand on the curtain and Quatre waited excitedly for him to make up his mind.

Wufei dropped the pile of clothing on the bench and glared at them. The fire gnome clambered onto the bench and patted them appreciatively, like a kid petting a cat. Wufei rolled his eyes and angrily tugged his shirt over his head. He was uncomfortable with being dressed up like a life-sized doll and didn't like the implications. A tiny voice in the back of his head admitted that he was also uncomfortable with being given things – in his experience absolutely nothing came without strings attached. Generally, he didn't like what was on the other end of those strings.

Sighing, he pulled the clothing on. It was the dark red shirt with the black lacings. It fit tight across his chest, but was long in the sleeves. And... was that lace on the cuff? He quickly rolled the cuff up and yanked on the soft hide pants. They were dyed black and would probably turn his legs purple by the end of the day. The dark vest fit well over the shirt and he looked down at himself in general disapproval. There was no reason that a man of nearly twenty-one winters should fit into children's clothing.

As he sat down to lace his boots back up, he could hear Quatre making slow conversation with the merchant. The gnome seemed to approve of his new clothing and pointed out that they matched. He grabbed onto Wufei's shirt and held his own arm against it. He nodded sagely, his caterpillar-like eyebrows wiggling at the clever comparison. The gnome's dirty shirt was, in fact, only a few shades darker than his bright red skin. Wufei had never been unkind enough to point out that it was a rather garish clash in colors. He was almost feeling uncharitable enough to do so just then, except that Quatre would hear him and the gnome would probably get mad enough to burn something.

He hesitated at the door, feeling vulnerable and _visible_ in the bright color. His hand curled around the tattered curtain and stayed there, slowly tightening in the thin fabric.

"You can come out," Quatre offered after a minute of silence.

Wufei took a deep breath and pulled the curtain back. He kept his head bowed and refused to look up at either the tailor or the air Talent. Quatre pulled him forward a couple steps and walked around him.

"We'll take them!" Quatre announced. He haltingly tried to explain it to the tailor in Eustacian, but could only remember the word for 'yes.' The man seemed to get the point and Wufei was just as happy that he didn't have to translate it.

Despite his furious bargaining in the open-air market, Quatre over paid the merchant by more than half and walked out of the store with the stack of clothing and a smile on his face.

"We'll have to get boots tomorrow," Quatre announced as they walked back out into the fading sunlight.

As they made their way back to the inn, Wufei could feel eyes on him, sending little shivers up the back of his neck. He cursed the bright red shirt and wondered why it had to be _red._


End file.
